On An Eagles Wings
by A Salty Archer
Summary: The war is over. The Dawn never found Requiem. Cortana made the ultimate sacrifice for her protector and friend. Forced into retirement, John is struggling with life. But when he finds himself in a battle royal with strange, humanoid aliens, he continues to fight. But even if the eagle is broken, a flock can still help him spread his wings and fly once more.
1. Feather 1

**On an Eagles Wings**

_**((Author's note:**_

_**Woo wee, do I feel nervous posting this, but I had to do it, yessiree.**_

_**Halo? Crossed over with a fan servicing anime like Sekirei, what in the hell was I thinking?**_

_**But its been at thought that's been running in my head for a while now, and while I have my own reservations with Sekirei, the entire plot twist of the show about the true origins of the Sekirei was what really drove me to write about this.**_

_**Add in the fact that my first beloved character in all of fiction is the Master Chief, I believed that a character study of him colliding with a situation like in Sekirei would one hell of a interesting thing, given the nature of the aliens themselves.**_

_**But instead of sending chief back into the past or some alternate dimension, I'm going to try to integrate both crossovers into one universe, hell yeah, I'm so excited.**_

_**This is my first story so help me out yeah?**_

_**Let me know how I'm doing and what I can improve on, and if anyone is interested in beta'ing, feel free to pm me.**_

_**And if you lore heavy people want to drop any facts that I may have missed on either spectrum, please let me know**_

_**((SPOILERS)) Skip if you don't want any**_

_**So this is the prologue, might take a chapter or two before I get to the meat of the story, so just bear with me for a minute.**_

_**Chief: Aside from Halo 4, he's always been a pretty quiet guy, and often had Cortana speak for the both of them instead. Aside from that he only seemed to talk more around people who he really knew, got along with, or respected. So not too much dialogue from him here. I wanted to also emphasize a few of his thoughts upon seeing the SPARTAN-IVs, something Halo 4 never did. And we never saw him really talk about it either, so I put something down, but he doesn't know everything, and the main lore never really had him acknowledging the existence of the IIIs at all. Stoic and quiet is what he is here for the most part.**_

_**Time: I honestly had to make sure Cortana was dead, as much as I love her character, she would honestly be a hinderance to Chief's character progression throughout the story, as she often acted as the human medium of the relationship. I can't have that. So hence, the extra year thrown in, and none of the events of Halo 4 had happened yet. Requiem hadn't found the Dawn nor the Infinity yet, and I'm still debating if it will happen at all throughout the story. **_

_**Cortana: This was actually pretty rough for me to write. Her goodbye to Chief. I wanted to express how she had felt in the end, while surprising the chief with small fits of rampancy that affected her. But I had to make it meaningful in order to hit the tone of the story, hence the big bomb she drops on him. 'I Love You'. And this is meant to set off a sort of chain reaction inside the chief as he process the her words later on, and it'll effect him more as the story progresses.**_

_**Everyone else: Small Fireteam Crimson cameo, don't think too much on it. Lasky's past with the chief will be talked about next chapter so look forward to that, aside from that its mostly just John either ignoring everyone else, or being precise and straight to the point.**_

_**I honestly cant wait to get to the actual story itself, but I gotta make sure the suspension of disbelief is not too much. So, I gotta do it in a way that makes sense.**_

_**Please Read and Review.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing))**_

**First Feather**

_I'll miss you…_

_Wake me… when you need me._

Pain. It was familiar. A sensation that stuck with me for most of my life. Let me know I could still function.

Let me know I can still fight.

Like a ghost it slowly creeped through my fingers, my toes, and my face, replacing the numb chilling sensation throughout my body with a hundred hot needles burning through my skin.

_Freezer burn._ My mind was able to supply unhelpfully to me through the muck that it wadded through as my body slowly rebooted itself sluggishly, slowly.

The light felt piercing as I opened my eyes, feeling as if my retinas were going to burn off the more, I kept my eyes open. My lips felt chapped and dry as they parted, an even dryer tongue, like sandpaper, darting out to wet them with no avail.

My heartbeat, slowly at first, became stronger as it thawed, an uneasy warmth spreading through my chest before it reached my extremities, adding fuel to fire as the uncomfortable pain spread throughout my skin was joined with an unwelcomed heat.

My lungs felt heavy, my throat absolutely raw, spots dancing in my vision, as I sucked in my first breath, feeling a stinging chill as the cold air still within my helmet met my warming organs in an unfriendly mismatch of extreme cold and warming heat, I held the need to cough as I exhaled calmly, already acclimated to the sensation.

"…"

"…"

Muffled sounds assaulted my ears, but I couldn't make complete sense of it. How long was I asleep? I tried to flex my fingers, slowly curling them, idly wondering why it was such a struggle to do just that blearily.

"..?"

"..!"

"..!"

A muffled whining assaulted my ears. Were those alarms?

They were.

"…-up! We gotta get him outta there!" Someone cried out anxiously.

I just drowsily realized that everything was shaking.

Cortana.

Like a hammer going off in my head my body abruptly woke, mind shifting through the last moments I remember.

Earth…

The Covenant…

The Flood…

The Ark…

Cortana…

_Cortana._

"Cortana."

I inhaled sharply, my mind rebooted but still fogged, my body revitalized but still hardly responding, my vision refocused, immediately landing on the still defrosting glass in front of me, barely making out the shadow of two figures in front of it.

Cryotube.

Unknowns in the area.

Ship alarms blaring.

Possible attack?

Secure Cortana.

My brain processed all this in the two seconds I had been awake.

"His vitals are skyrocketing! He- "

I slammed my right hand as hard as I could on the reinforced glass, palm first. It didn't budge, but a wide spiderweb crack was made instead. The automatic function for the door must've gotten damaged or jammed. Still not awake enough to break through the glass damnit. The shadows behind the glass jumped back as if startled. A yelp followed.

"Chief!"

I paused, my left hand stopping where it was halfway to meeting the glass like my right hand. The voice was unmistakably human. I must've really been out of it if I was barely registering that fact in the five seconds, I have been awake. Sloppy.

"Chief! If can hear me there is a manual override switch above your head! Pull it! We can't get you out from this end!"

I glanced up and beheld the emergency eject lever not even 5 inches from where my helmet was.

Very sloppy.

But it seemed these unknowns were friendly for now.

Reaching up I grunted a little when the initial tug down wasn't enough to bring it down, jammed maybe. A little more strength changed that easily enough, and with a small screech of metal it went down followed by a pop and a hiss as the cryotube released the pressurized air within, and with a small click, the door began its slow ascent upwards.

Not waiting a second longer, I shoved the door out of the way, flinging it in an upwards arch where it stopped when the door reached its limit.

A curse filled my ears as I looked down to see what exactly the figures behind the glass were exactly.

I paused.

_Spartans._ But not my Spartans, not the ones I grew up with, not the ones that trusted me to be their leader when we were younger, not the ones I lost to the Covenant these past 27 years we've been fighting. These were, for one, not as disciplined, judging by how one of these similarly armored people, one female and one male due to the figures, were currently sitting on the floor hands behind her supporting her seemingly startled, while the other had his rifle at the ready, helmeted head whipping back and forth between his sprawled female companion and I, as if he didn't know what to do.

The armor was different as well, while the Mark IV and V were quite bulky compared to the much more advanced Mark VI armor I wore, they wore even sleeker versions, which seemed to also be personalized with color and mismatched pieces of armor on the chest, shoulders, arms, and legs.

_And those helmets…_ I thought wryly, holding back the slightest twitch of my eyebrow at the rather… _unique_ designs.

"Stand down Sheppard!" I glanced to my side, not moving my head from the two in front of me, looking at the other armored female figure that was certainly _not_ one of my Spartans standing in front of a console that must've been linked to my cryotube.

The confused one, Sheppard it seemed like, snapped his weapon down in response to the order, head whipping to the one that seemed to be in charge with a small nod as he took two steps away from me. This one must've been the one in charge of this little (rescue?) squad. With that I stepped out of my cryopod and regarded her.

Another rumble shook the ship.

"Identify yourself." I said simply, if they were friendly this might end up in a rescue, if foe then he would do what he needed to do to eliminate the threat, but considering the undoubtingly humanoid figures, I'd honestly rather not do the latter after fighting for humanity for so long, but he would do what he must, after all, who knows if the Insurrectionist were still as active now as they were during even Reach.

The armored woman on the floor gave another curse as Sheppard helped her onto her feet and the one in charge looked up at me with her blue visor, almost looking as if she froze in place as she regarded me towering over her.

"Uhm…" She said eloquently, and I held back my sigh, still not quite used to people seemingly losing their professional decorum when I regarded them, instead zeroing in on the eagle with arrows in one claw and a wreath in the other printed onto the collar of her chest piece, UNSC then, then definitely leaning towards rescue party it seemed. Good.

"S-Spartan Maria Hale Chief-Sir- I- err…" the _Spartan_ saluted before realizing that I wasn't exactly an officer and seemed to fumble whether to go to attention, parade rest, and settled into an odd mixture of both, hands firmly behind the small of her back while the heels of her feet were together in a perfect 45 degree angle.

I clenched my jaw at the title, _Spartan,_ unsure how to feel about it, before quickly dismissing it as I saw a larger console a few feet away from the squad.

The same console I plugged Cortana into before I went into cryosleep.

"Status report." I strided over to the console, a small spike of adrenaline going through my system when it had hit me that Cortana neither woke me up nor stood on top of the console. It was motionless, it looked dead, not a single light was being emitted from it. Her chip was still in the port where I left her.

"A-ah, yes, well Chief right now we- "Whatever else she was about to say was drowned out as I pulled the chip out and saw…

_It was empty._

"Where is she?" I sharply cut off the woman, Hale, as I turned to her, chip in hand, voice tight and a definite edge in it that certainly startled the three, Sheppard and his companion looking at each other seemingly like they were unsure on what to do.

"U-Uh? Chief? Where is who?" Hale echoed, sounding confused, and irritation swelled up in my chest.

"Where is Cortana?" I snapped now, the need to know where my AI partner is so we can both leave growing more and more as, instead of responding, they gave each other confused glances.

Another tremor shook the ship.

"Chief," I turned to Sheppard as he hesitantly spoke," So far you're the only one we've found in the ship since we've been here, we- "

"Listen," the unnamed female snapped in agitation and anxiousness, gripping her weapon tightly enough that I can feel myself tense from her tone and stance. "We're less than five minutes away from an asteroid field, one that this damn ship is headed to, I dunno what you lost but we can't exactly stay here much longer, we have a Pelican in the hanger bay that we can use to get back to the Infi-"

"I can't do that" I growled lowly, glaring at the soldier who had the audacity to insinuate that Cortana wasn't important enough to spare the effort to look for. The woman seemed to become more agitated by my answer, but I didn't care, Cortana was my responsibility and I needed to take care of her, it was my job and I'd destroy another Halo ring before even thinking of leaving her behind again.

The ship jostled harshly, rocking the ship hard enough that I had to place a firm hand on the console in order to keep myself steady, legs spread a bit further than shoulder length to keep my balance as I rocked back and forth. The others weren't so quick, Sheppard stumbling into my newly vacated cryopod with a short shout while the unnamed female lurched onto all fours, as if she thought that gripping the floor would keep her from falling onto her side with the ship shaking so violently, not like it worked as she fell to her side, cursing loudly. Hale seemed the best off, legs swept from under her as she clutched onto the cryopod console with both arms desperately.

And as quick as the violent tremor began, it ended, the ship going back into its eerie silence as though it never had happened.

It was quiet for a second.

"FUCK!" The female snarled, jumping onto her feet angrily, "Cause we're wasting all this fucking time we must be catching the debris from the asteroid field!" She pointed to me angrily as I regarded her coolly, undisciplined indeed. "We've got to get the FUCK outta here now!" Quickly turning, she quickly helped her teammate out of the cryotube as he stumbled back onto his feet, holding his helmeted head with one hand.

"She's right Chief," I looked around as Hale spoke, if it was true and the remaining half of the Dawn was headed into an asteroid field like she said, we needed to evacuate now before the field capsized the rest of the ship. But not without finding my companion.

"We need to leave. Now, you're the main priority now that we know your alive, we NEED to get you out Chief." She stressed out as I glanced at the monitors around the room, looking for any clues that could lead me to where Cortana was, we were short on time, dangerously short, so it was the slightest relief brought when I dim blue light caught my eye from the many dead monitors.

"Affirmative," I responded moving to the monitor quickly and slipping in the chip in the slot a little ways off onto the side, removing it when the blue light died, and looking at the now dim blue chip, quickly slotted it into the back of my helmet, but the familiar feel of ice being poured onto my brain, nor the did the familiar presence of my partner enter my consciousness, instead my HUD winked with a message, informing me of a download for the quickest of seconds before it disappeared and a prompt stared at me.

_Play message?_

A cold feeling filled my chest, my mind quickly coming to the conclusion on why of instead of Cortana, it was a message, no doubt left by her, remembering the how close to the edge of rampancy she had been when I recovered her from the Gravemind, and it filled me with an uncomfortable feeling that I quickly pushed down.

Later. There will be time later.

I looked to the other three.

"Let's move"

Another violent tremor swept across the Dawn as we hurried down the halls, the lights overhead flickering ominously above us. Not much time left before the Dawn was made into scrap metal.

I heard something behind us collapse.

"This way!" Barked Hale, as we turned another corner, the giant blast door leading into the hanger opening as we made our way through. I looked around, noting the small fires beginning to erupt around the hanger as the hull integrity lessened with every hit from space, and locked onto the pelican as its engines revved, and it lifted ever so slightly from the floor and began to edge closer to us as its back doors swung open, another teammate in the cockpit?

Without another word we all pushed ourselves into a dead sprint into the back, crossing what must've been fifty meters in two seconds.

As I strapped myself in with the others as Hale pushed into the cock pit, I revaluated them.

_At least they can keep up._

"Get us the hell out of here!" I heard Sheppard holler out as fires blew through the door of the hanger bay as the Pelicans back doors closed shut.

The Pelican lurched upwards and filling my body with the faintest bit of vertigo, we took off from the hanger. It was not a smooth ride as the Pelican jerked this way and that, as I'd imagine the pilot would be dodging incoming debris desperately.

My palms itched with the need to do something, anything as the pilot did their best to maneuver through the field, the dull thud of a few smaller pieces hitting the pelican sounding throughout the back.

_Hope we don't crash._ I thought dryly as the Pelican lurched again when another, seemingly heavier chunk of debris landed on my side. The two in front of me were cursing up a storm as their hands clutched desperately to their seats.

"I HATE flying!" The female across from me said miserably as she fought to keep herself steady on her seat.

"_SHUT UP CORTEZ!" _Sheppard vented as, he too, tried to keep purchase on his seat. "You know Price is the only one who could pilot this- URK." He was caught off when another lurch, downwards this time, just about lifted him to his feet violently before slamming, bottom first, back onto his seat.

"DAMNIT!" Cortez, the female, cried out again.

I couldn't help but stare dryly at the antics of the two across from me as they continue to groan and complain, idly examining the undone seat buckles on the side of their seats as they whipped back and forth with the movement of the ship.

I had heard rumors during the war of the possibilities of other Spartan classes coming after us, and them being deployed throughout the war, fighting the Covenant, but I had never seen one of these newer Spartans myself, nor have I ever verified if they had ever existed throughout the war, and if they existed, they would have most likely been an even more closely guarded secret within ONI like the SPARTAN-IIs were, well until our existence was announced for a much needed moral booster for the war, with our almost constant losses in the war.

And it had helped.

When we had been revealed to the populous, both military and civilian, I idly remembered there being a massive enlistment boost within the military, as our combat prowess in the battlefield were revealed to humanity as a whole, and like a chain reaction, everyone had begun to revere the SPARTAN-II like they were heroes.

Besides the ODST's of course, they never got over their grudge with us after the gym incident that had occurred almost 3 decades ago. When I had killed two of them and crippled another three for life in retaliation to their attempted hazing. All over a small misunderstanding and bruised ego, not to mention my augmentations I had little to no control over at the time, made the entire affair a bloody one that left quite the stain amongst our reputation with the ODST, that sometimes interfered with the mission. I idly thought back to Major Silva back on Halo and his rather blatant disrespect and animosity towards me back when we first met one another.

Of course, he wouldn't be the first with rather disparaging opinions about the SPARTAN-IIs and what he thought of them, but he was one of the few that were rather vocal with them, unlike the many others who whispered behind our backs or conspired to set us up for failure.

Or just flat out tried to have us killed, I reminisced, thinking of Colonel Ackerson and the first testing of the MLJNOR Mark-V power armor and to test Cortana's and I compatibility.

In which, after slapping away a missile fired from a longsword with my bare hands in the power armor, with Cortana's help, and passed the rather overkill test he had set for us, we proved to be the rather formidable team.

I ignored the feeling the thought of her brought, relentlessly crushing it, and ignoring thinking of the protocol of what to do when an AI descends into Rampancy.

_Later, _I told myself fervently, _Later._

I reexamined the _Spartans_ in front of me. Were these the same ones I had heard rumors about during the war? Were these the ones who were coming after us?

_Our replacements?_

I shook off these thoughts ever so slightly, Humanity will always need the SPARTAN-IIs to help and defend her people and colonies, no matter the costs.

Another thought struck me: _So, who exactly are these ones supposed to be? Spartan-IIIs? Or another class of Spartan-IIs?_

Another tremor, a rather violent one that ejected the two across from me from their seats, rocked the pelican.

"We're hit! Stray debris clipped the left engine! Hang on we're going to crash into the Infinity's hanger!" A male voice roared from the cockpit as alarms blared from overhead of us and the pelican began to shudder violently as it tried to hold itself together as it flew, the two on the floor trying to brace themselves on the seats as we coursed for a crash landing, the engines and turbines screaming as we made our way.

I watched them desperately prepare for the landing as I sat there, quiet during the entire trip, almost relaxed even as we descended, my mind idly thinking back to my other crash landings that were under much worse circumstances than this.

To my slight surprised, I honestly thought that _these_ crash landings were much preferable than my last ones… less painful, in my opinion.

_Well,_ I almost sighed._ At least I didn't jump this time._

_*SCENE BREAK*_

I walked briskly with my escorts, more of these heavily armored soldiers, as they walked along side me in a diamond formation, one in front of me, another on the right and left of me, and the last one right behind me, each about two meters distance away from me as we made our ways down the hallway to the bridge.

After crashing into the hanger, which went a lot smoother than I had originally expected, being one who frequent crash landings, a team had rushed out to put out the fires that we had left in our wake when we trail-blazed our way into the hanger, while another had tried to make sure we were still alive. And considering the groans and moans that came from the team that retrieved me, aside from some scrapes and bruises everyone was alright. The pilot, another member of the team named Price, had jumped out the pelican hooting and bragging on how good of a pilot he was to get us through that field. Looking back at what little of the asteroid field I saw before the hanger shut closed, I had to admit that he flew pretty good, as I watched the last of the Dawn get shredded through the asteroid field.

Not even five minutes passed before what seemed to be another team of Spartans, these looking more unified with identical armor pieces and color, being another two male, two female team, made their way to him, telling me to follow them into the bridge. To see the captain most likely. Hopefully he could get some answers and find out where I would be deployed next.

Though as I walked, I was struck on how _big_ the ship I was in really seemed to be. In most ships, I would be in the bridge in almost ten to fifteen minutes, rather quick due to my longer strides, sometimes a little longer depending on the size of the ship. but still it was something I was used to. We had been marching along for almost thirty minutes now and had to transfer ourselves through more than five different elevators, which was odd. I never did get a real look at the cruiser we were in, as I had been riding in the back of the pelican when we had landed and couldn't exactly get a good enough view from the lack of windows in the pelican.

As we walked up to the doors of the bridge, I discarded that train of thought and prepared to conduct protocol. The doors opened and a few bridge personnel close by us looked up from their work, and I heard more than one of them gasp as we walked through, the soldiers around me breaking the diamond formation as two stayed by the doors and while the last two positioned themselves behind me, a little ways from my right and left respectively.

The gasps increased infrequency, followed by whispers, as I made my way, idly, I thought about to the journey to the bridge and the lack of personnel I came across of, and how it almost felt like day or night when I made my way through the more crowded bridge. Technicians who were making their way across to do their job froze and just about jumped out of my way as I strode on my way to the head of the bridge, where a man, most likely the captain of the ship, stood staring down at something in his hands, his back facing me.

I stopped six paces away from him and stood stiffly at attention, as another man, of medium build and brown hair, commander ranks on his shoulders, the XO most likely, tapped his shoulder and sent a quick whisper to his ear. From my position I noticed how his eyes never left my form as soon as he took sight of me, an almost shocked look on his face.

The older man raised his head, a full head of graying hair coming into view as he sent a quick glance over his shoulder, an almost dismissive action as he took sight of me. He nodded back to his XO before turning to face me fully, and I was able to catch a glimpse of a data pad in his hand before it was hidden behind his back. Captain ranks were sown onto the shoulders of his uniform. I saluted him crisply. "Sir, Sierra-117 reporting for duty sir."

He stood at ease in front of me as I held my salute, giving me a once over as he stared at my form.

Due to the intense fighting in the last few days of the war, I still had traces of blood still flaking on my armor, as well as several deep scratches and dents that the nanomachines in my armor weren't fully able to repair with my over abuse of it. Scorch marks also were on my form from the super-heated plasma I took on the few times my shield had gone down and I wasn't able to find cover. One that undoubtedly stood out the most was the one on the center of my chest where 343 Guilty Sparks had fired his beam at when he betrayed Johnson, the Arbiter, and I on Delta Halo.

After he mortally wounded the tough as nails Sergeant Major with one of those blasts.

I had been extremely lucky when even the second shot of its scorching beam still wasn't enough to breach my chest piece. Even the Arbiter had nearly been put down with one shot of it. Johnson, as tough as he was, didn't have the sturdy armor nor energy shields we had to protect him from the beam as it burned through his chest cavity like a hot knife through butter. That still didn't stop him from saving me from 343 Guilty Sparks unrelenting attacks with the Spartan Laser he had on his person, and with a small utter of 'Kick his ass' passed out, barely clinging onto life, and giving me his weapon, cradling Cortana's chip he had in his hands to his barely breathing chest in a desperate form of protecting her from the fight between me and 343.

Killing the Monitor brought me the briefest feelings of satisfaction, I was never able to let go of the small grudge I had against him when he had initially betrayed Cortana and I on the first Halo ring. Of course, that feeling didn't last long when I got to Johnson, barely clinging to life, and when I tried to retrieve him, he vehemently denied it, instead giving me the chip of my partner in my hand with both bloody, trembling hands.

'Don't ever let her go.' He had whispered harshly, seemingly making me speak an unspoken promise to never leave her again, not like I ever would, not like last time.

'Send me out… with a bang…'

And with that, I watched with almost stunned disbelief, the toughest marine I had ever known, who fought from the first contact fight between Humanity and the Covenant on Harvest, and survived the entire war for the next 27 years to see the end of it, died in my arms.

He had finished his fight.

And a little bit afterwards, I had finished mine for the survival of Humanity.

I stood, still holding my salute as the Captain resumed his inspection of me.

He looked unimpressed. "Ah yes, Master Chief," he quirked his lips upwards at me as he gave me as short half salute from his position of at ease. "Good to have you back soldier."

I snapped my arm back to my side when he dropped his lackadaisical salute. "Reporting for duty sir."

His small twitch of his lips became a full-blown sardonic smile. "Of course you are Chief. Captain Del Rio." He introduced himself. "To be honest, when the Infinity had gotten a distress call from a dead ship so far out in the middle of nowhere, finding and recovering the 'Legendary Master Chief' had been the last thing on my list, at least alive of course. Almost lost some good men because of you."

I almost raised a brow at the slightly antagonistic words, had I done something wrong? And it gave me another uneasy question, one that might inform me of what happened to Cortana: _Just how long have I been asleep?_

"But here you are!" He paced slightly to my right, the smile never leaving his face. "And now Humanity will have its greatest asset with her again." He looked to the side, and, looking with the corner of my eye still standing at the position of attention, addressed a brunette woman in a skin tight body suit covering her upper body with military fatigues covering her lower half, where she was leaning on one of the many consoles in the room, arms folded over her chest. "Spartan Commander Palmer, your _Spartans_ are as efficient as ever, you have my thanks on a job well done."

The woman, _Spartan Commander_ Palmer, shifted slightly, the slightest looks of discomfort on her face at the gratitude from the man, as she gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "Fireteam Crimson is the ones who deserve the credit sir, one of the best fireteams I've got here, I knew they wouldn't let me down."

So that's the name of the team of the rather… _loud_ Spartans.

Captain Del Rio gave her the briefest of looks before looking back at me, smile now gone, and gave me an almost disinterested look. "For now Commander Lasky, my XO," he gestured to the younger man at his side, who had whispered in his ear earlier, and who's eyes, I noticed with some consternation, never left my form the moment he saw me, staring at me with almost unnerving intensity. "Will debrief you on what questions you may have. Any questions?" The end felt rhetoric, and I felt as if I were to ask a question, I would be met with more disdain from this officer, and I would gain nothing else from him.

"No sir." I responded simply.

He nodded, "Dismissed Master Chief." He said simply, turning his back towards me and looking back down at the data pad that was in his hand, the sound of him typing away at it filling the almost silent bridge, and I relaxed my stance ever so slightly at the dismissal.

Soft murmurs began to sound around me, but I ignored them to face the XO who walked up to me with a small smile on his face and straightened myself back to attention. "Sir." That lessened his smile ever so slightly as he stopped in front of me before it came back up and his hands rose up in a slight placating gesture.

"Relax Chief." Like the Captain, he paused to give me an appraising glance as I relaxed, after his once over, he gave me an almost fond smile, eyes crinkling ever so slightly. "It feels a little weird for you to be calling me 'sir', especially with what you've done and all."

I wondered why he found that weird, it was only proper military decorum to salute the officers appointed over me as I only was still an enlisted, regardless of how high that rank may be on the list.

Movement caught the corner of my eye, and I glanced at _Spartan Commander_, I idly wondered when that rank came to be, Palmer as she sauntered up next to the Commander, arms still crossed over her chest. I noticed just how much taller she stood to the man and wondered if these new Spartans were augmented just like us, and if so, were they the same augmentations my fellow Spartan-IIs received when we were fourteen.

Part of me wondered if she would be able to survive the procedure.

"So," She began with a small smirk as she roamed her eyes up and down my form, her smirk grew a bit more in size when she was finished, looking up to my visor. "I thought you would be taller."

Well… that was a first.

And besides, I was still taller than her now, how much taller did she expect me to be?

"Palmer" Lasky sighed, in which made the woman's smirk into a full grin, and faced me once more. "This way Chief, follow me, I'll show you the way to the fitting room." He gave me another smile, and I moved to the side to let him walk past me, quickly walking a little way behind him as he escorted me.

"Fire team Amethyst, your dismissed." Palmer voice rang out, and I saw the first set Spartans that had stood quietly salute the woman as we passed by them at the head of the bridge and approached the second half of the team who stood guard at the door, where they followed up with another salute as we passed by them as well.

Taking my gaze away from the soldiers I glanced at our apparent tag along, and Palmer let out another smirk at my look before I returned my gaze to Lasky's back as we walked out of the bridge.

As we walked down the hallway I inhaled deeply, better now than later.

"Sir." Lasky peered over his shoulder curiously as I called for him, and I squared my shoulders.

"I have some questions."

*SCENE BREAK*

I stared ahead, feeling a little numb.

The year was 2558. Five years I've been asleep in cryo.

Five years since the war ended.

Perhaps others would find that amount of time to be staggering and horrifying, to be asleep for that long as the world continued, your absence not hindering the progression of humanity for even a second. Perhaps they would come to the daunting realization of their own mortality or some philosophical theory like that, terrified of entering a new world they would probably not understand or have difficulty understanding. Coming to the bleak conclusion that if they really were gone, nobody would have stopped to mourn them any longer than they would need to before moving on, the person themselves just becoming another thought in the back of their mind.

Perhaps that's how civilians would feel, perhaps even some of the soldiers that I've met throughout the years would have a hard time coping with such a situation.

But that's nowhere close to my thought process, not even close.

It's not that I didn't care about myself, but I didn't find the thought of being forgotten or people moving on from the memory of me daunting, not at all. I didn't do all that I did to get fame and recognition, after all it was just me doing what I was raised to do. To fight and to win for humanity. That was the primary mission of our creation after all, but that didn't stop the populous from seeing the SPARTAN-IIs as heroes, and eventually we were forced to reluctantly accept the title.

'_Folks need heroes Chief, gives them hope.' _Was what Johnson had explained to me when I had expressed reluctance to the praise and honors, I had received back on Cairo Station. To be fair, I was just more used to being ostracized or left on my own for most of the war, before ONI had deemed it necessary to expose our existence.

So no, that's not the problem.

How long was it again that Smart AI's lasted again? I don't exactly remember the number, If I was ever told at all, but I did remember being told the difference between a 'Dumb' AI and a 'Smart' AI was, that while having the ability to perform a restricted number of tasks, the 'Dumb' AIs were able to live almost indefinitely. On the opposite site of the spectrum, 'Smart' AIs were the better model, actively learning from the world around them and processing information in a way for them to understand, much more human like compared to their _dumber_ fellows. I never found out much more about AIs, the amount I knew coming from Deja when I was much younger when one of my fellow Spartans were curious to how much she actually knew, and she had given us a short explanation of it, or at least that's how I understand it. It was remembering that, because of the Smart AIs higher processing abilities, it was the reason that they lived much more finite lives, before they died, or hit rampancy, a very dangerous and unstable part of their lives.

Something I remember Cortana being dangerously close to when I had rescued her from the Gravemind, and it was dawning to me that she may have done it if it became worse as I slept.

Made the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect me form her rampancy.

The back of my head seemed to throb ever so slightly, grimly reminding me that, even though I had her data chip in my helmet, there was still only one of us in here.

It filled me with the briefest feelings of loneliness.

"Chief?" I looked to the side, only to see Lasky looking at me a little unsurely. "Went a little quiet there, I can only imagine how it might be for you to wake up with something like that hitting you. If you would like, I can give you a moment." I noticed Palmer staring at me, a scrutinizing look on her face as she took in my reaction, looking a little stiffer than before.

Ah.

Was she here in case I took the news a little too aggressively?

The thought would have made me snort a little if I wasn't dealing with some one in charge of the newer generation of _SPARTANs, _as I don't exactly know just _what_ they were capable of yet.

I shook my head. "No sir. The time doesn't change anything. I'm ready for any further deployments." Lasky raised an eyebrow at that, sharing a small glance with Palmer before regarding me again this time with an almost sheepish smile.

"Well, the doctors are going to have to determine that one Chief." He looked ahead again, "After we get you to a fitting room to remove that armor, its gonna take a little bit before we can get you your own temporary quarters here. So, we'll guide you to the locker rooms to clean up and show you where to grab chow here, as we have a 24-hour grab-n-go chow hall." He looked back at me, taking in the condition of my armor this time. "But after that its straight to see the doctors for you." He looked back in front of him. "After all I doubt your gonna need to fight anytime soon."

I nodded at the order, but the ending of his description made me feel a little uneasy. Surely, even with the war over, there would still be pockets of resistance from some remnant of the Covenant throughout space? That the Insurrectionists might still be out there, causing problems to the UEG.

After all, what was the point of Spartans if there wasn't a fight to be fought?

*SCENE BREAK*

"One of the more _personal_ fitting rooms, and locker rooms are over there," Lasky pointed to a door adjacent from the one we stood in front of. "There are some spare lockers that we have for any extra SPARTAN-IVs we might get, with a clean uniform, hygiene kits, and shower items still inside." He held his chin a little thoughtfully. "The clothes might be a little tight on you but they're designed for Spartans on board the ship so it should be able to accommodate for your size."

I nodded, filing the little tidbits of info in my head. _SPARTAN-IVs_. Were there ever a class of SPARTAN-IIIs made or does the UNSC just not like odd numbers, choosing to skip them instead?

After all the only Spartans I know of that came before us were the Greek ones Deja had taught us all those years ago.

He smiled a little bit at my acknowledgement, thumbing the area over his shoulder, "We'll be in the hallway waiting for you, feel free to leave the under suit in the locker room, we'll send some technicians to pick up all of your gear and properly inventory it."

I nodded again, a bit unsure now that it seemed like I won't be receiving my armor back anytime soon, the thought of me walking around without it genuinely making me uncomfortable already.

With how long I've actually been in it since the start of the war, starting from the Mark IV to VI models, there wasn't very many times I actually kept the armor off for long periods of time, aside from conducting basic hygiene I rarely parted from my armor. Add to that it's been an almost constant companion for the past 27 years, well, 32 years, for me, its basically become my second skin.

I tried to smother the small bit of anxiety that rose into my chest as I walked, reluctantly, into the room.

It was a pretty bare room, if not for the complex looking machinery in the dead center of it. Mechanical arms surrounded what looked to be an aero trim with holders for the feet and handles to grab onto. A small holographic console to the side of it, multiple caution and warning labels surrounding the machine, detailing what to do exactly and risks that might occur if I use the machine improperly.

I stared a little apprehensively at the machine, but quickly got over it as I stepped to the holographic console first, removing the chip out of my helmet and inserting it into the slot on the side.

I paused when the console, with a small whirl, came to life, downloading the items on the chip and placed a prompt in front of me, the question shimmering slightly from the graphics of the hologram.

_Play Message?_

Cortana's final words to me, I thought grimly, finally accepting the situation of my longtime companion. I would know everything I would need to from this, my closure in a sense. Part of me didn't want to watch it, still not ready to say goodbye from a dear friend, a deeper part of me refusing the reality in front of my eyes.

The other part, the one that had survived all 27 years of war, knew that I had to respect what might be her last wishes.

I steadied my breath, and myself, and tapped the prompt.

The console gave another small whirl, and before I knew it, Cortana stood right there, in all her glory.

Hands behind her back, back straight, she stared back up at me, but then I realized, lips pursing, she wasn't staring _at _me. "I-" she began before cutting her self off, eyes flickering around the room as she struggled with her words, before she deflated, shoulders hunching over slightly, looking smaller than before as she hung her head, one hand going across her chest to hold her other. It was an odd thing to watch, I thought, one of the most self-assured and vocal people I knew looking so tiny, so distraught.

Like she had when I had rescued her from the Gravemind.

"I'm not coming with you this time." She began gently. "it's been so long since I last saw you, and now there's so much wrong with me. Out of place." As if to confirm it, her figure flickered ever so briefly, her normal blue becoming a crimson red, as quick it would have been disregarded as a glitch, before settling to her normal blue.

She looked up, a small wry smile on her face. "You know I had much to think about, not like there was much to do. About the past and present of humanity, about the Forerunners, about the Halos and the Flood." She paused. "About you and I." Her form flickered again at the last bit, but instead of red, it was pink, the color she often turned to the few times I've known her to get embarrassed. For some reason it made my pulse quicken ever so slightly.

"I don't think I ever told you, the reason I chose you," She smiled and looked to the side once more, a wistful look in her eyes and it struck me on how _human_ the action was, then again she was always the better one of the both of us when it came to expressing their thoughts and feelings.

"They let me pick. Did I ever tell you that? Choose whatever Spartan I wanted." She let go of her arm and begun wringing her hands as she continued to stare off to the side, a happy, almost blissful expression on her face. "You know me. I did my research. Watched as you became the soldier we needed you to be. Like the others, you were strong and swift and brave. A natural leader."

Her words took a reverent edge to them, as if her description of me was some passage of holy text to her. I only felt the smallest swell of embarrassment from her praise and thoughts of me, but the reason behind her sudden confessions kept me sober as I carefully took in her words.

"But you had something they didn't. Something no one saw, but me. Can you guess..?" Her smile became wider. "Luck."

Her smile lessened, a hard expression taking her face. "I hated what they did to you when I found out. What _Halsey_ did to you." She almost spat out her name, another red flicker taking over her form. "It was inhumane. They stole your futures, your lives, your humanity, everything. Broke all of you for the sake of their little project! _LIKE THEY HAD THE RIGHT TO! THEY HAD NO RIGHT!_" I was taken aback when a snarl of rage overcame her face as she shouted, her form becoming a glaring red that held for a second longer this time.

She relaxed, her form becoming meek, an ashamed look crossing her face from her outburst. She took a few seconds to recompose herself before she spoke, voice gentle with a small tremor. "…So when I chose you as my carrier, I promised myself I would always protect you. To never let you suffer anymore than you already had from their machinations. And looking back at those days, fighting together on our first test, to fighting on Halo and Earth, relying on each other." A look of content was on her face. "It honestly feels like a dream." She said airily.

"I was made from _that woman's _mind." That woman must've been Halsey, but it still disturbed me with how much _venom_ she had for her. Was this how she truly felt? Deep inside? Or was it the rampancy distorting her thoughts, twisting them to come to the conclusions she had.

"And the funny thing is that when I first saw you, I felt an attraction to you, a pull towards you that I couldn't ignore. As much as your luck contributed in my decision, it wasn't the main factor." She laughed a little, shaking her head from the thought. "It was almost easy to disregard the rest, and when I talked to her about it, she always spoke of you fondly. I don't even think she thought of her child as fondly as she did from you."

I furrowed my brows at the indirect confession. Halsey had a _child_? That was news to him.

She continued. "So maybe most of this, what I'm feeling, is a consequence from being flash cloned from her own brain. But you know what?" She smiled again; it was a brittle one. "As much as I hated that woman, as much as it hurt to watch you sleep, wishing with all that I am that I can just touch you with my own hands. I certainly don't regret retaining that part of her brain. It just made what I felt for you feel just that much more real." Her voice was sorrowful, but fond, as she reached out with one hand, probably to the direction of my cryotube at the time, trying to touch what was in front of her.

I noticed that my chest felt tight, an odd ball of ice forming in the pit of my stomach as she continued pouring herself out to me. _What she felt for me?_

"Chief." She hesitated. "_John_." My throat tightened. "I've been in service for nearly 8 years now." She looked down as she wrung her hands. "AIs deteriorate after 7. We start to go rampant, slowly _thinking _ourselves to death. And it's been getting harder to control, fighting with myself constantly, as every second to you feels like hours to me." A bitter look crossed her face, before it faded, a resolute one taking its spot.

"John, we swore to protect each other. And no matter what happened, we did. You always came back when I needed to you, never giving up, always resolute. You always protected me from what you can. You _saved_ me when I needed you the most. And it was because of that reason that I was able to last for so long."

She clenched a hand to her chest. Staring ahead, her resolve never wavering.

"So now it's my turn to protect you John. Protect you from myself. Protect you from what I want to do to you. I hope," She hesitated. "I hope you can understand that one day, when you wake up." She looked up, an almost desperate look on her face as her form began to flicker red several times. "And when you do wake up, don't be what they made you John, don't let yourself become the machine they tried to break you to. You're a much greater man than you know." Her voice began to distort, sounding like many of her talking at once as her form continued to flicker.

"Goodbye John."

"I love you."

I stared, feeling numb, as she vanished, and text began to show in front of me.

**UNSC Artificial Intelligence (Service Number – CTN 0452-9)**

**Situation: Adrift on back half of UNSC Charon-Class Light Frigate (FFG-201) Forward Unto Dawn following successful firing and destruction of Forerunner Halo: Installation 04-b**

**Error: UNSC Artificial Intelligence (Service Number – CTN 0452-9) has initiated self-destruction protocols.**

**Reason given: "To keep him safe."**

I stared at the text, her last words going through my head.

_I love you_.

And now she was gone.

Grief began to wrack my body as I leaned against the console, gripping the edges of it as I bowed my head.

"_Cortana..." _any composure I had was gone, nothing but emptiness and sadness.

The room was silent as I stood there.

Alone.


	2. Feather 2

**On an Eagles Wings**

**((Author's note:**

**Ooh boy people.**

**9 reviews, 23 favs, and 38 follows as I write this.**

**You guys seemed to be happy with what I'm delivering you and it makes me proud that I can make my fellow Halo community lovers feel that way. Receiving those notifications on my email freaking pumped me up.**

**Thanks to those who pointed out my mistakes, you guys are the real heroes. I was tired when I posted this story, and when I finished, I can only squint 'Yeah that looks alright I guess'. When I can I'll go back and revise Chapter 1.**

**Working long hours suck.**

**Anyways, back to the story… Info dump warnings. Really doing my best on the setting of this story before we can jump in the meaty bit's guys.**

**Now to the explanation of my mind.**

**((SPOILERS)) Skip if you don't want any.**

**Timeline: **_**Jesus Christ**_**, this made me really put on my thinking cap on. There was quite a bit that happened between the end of Halo 3 and the start of 4 and 5.**

**I just forgot **_**how much **_**happened.**

**Fortunately, I have most of the story already planned out. I just had to figure out **_**how**_** to make it work. So I dived back into the lore. Aside from losing some hours of sleep for my job, I thoroughly enjoyed my research for the most part. And I think I did a pretty good job on developing my own AU Halo verse without disregarding too much of canon. I didn't change things just to let my story work though, some changes will have large consequences throughout the story. Let me know your guys' thoughts.**

**Hunt the Truth: After the shit show of Halo 5's campaign I had completely forgotten about this. A change I made was that instead of just being about the Chief, it was about the entirety of the Spartan-II program, since he was still considered Missing In Action. Poor Ben, wish things went better for you, but for the greater good of the story, you had to be sacrificed.**

**Also Foreshadowing, can't forget that.**

**SPARTAN-II's retiring: Again, a thing to figure out, but I really couldn't help but notice just how **_**much**_** free reign they seem to have. Well, instead of the Master Chief, Blue Team would change that outlook. As I remember there being some tension about that topic that was never really developed later. While not as popular as the Chief, they are also incredibly respected as well.**

**Of course, some disgruntled politics aren't enough to keep them completely out of the game. So, while out of the major fights and such, I had them take a more open role, as they are still valuable assets to the UNSC.**

**And ONI.**

**Chief: 5 years' worth of appetite returning, along with him being the same outwardly. John has always been considered a stoic, but he isn't a mindless drone with witty one-liners. Tried to make him seem more thoughtful than vocal due to the introverted tendencies most Spartan-II's have. Also, a little more angst near the end, really trying to hammer in how bad our boy is taking Cortana's death and final words, without making him too emotional.**

**Next chapter will introduce some old friends, along with someone from John's childhood he never thought he would see again.**

**Always up for criticism and anything I missed or got wrong you lovable lore junkies.**

**Already working on the next chapter folks so stay tuned.**

**Don't forget to read and review)))**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Feather Two **

I stared at the figure in the mirror.

Pale blue eyes stared back at me.

Dark bags followed underneath, giving them eyes an almost sunken look, the light from this angle almost surrounding them in shadows. A mixture of crow's feet and wrinkles gave me the visage of a relatively older man. A scar that ran across my cheek below my left eye glittered softly, the almost silvery tissue reflecting the light.

My face was unhealthily pale, the remnants of my childhood freckles still dotting my face, and gaunt, my cheeks hollowed from what I would imagine to be malnutrition. After all, while the MJOLNIR Mark-VI armor had long term survival protocols that helped recycle extra nutrition inside of my body, there was only so many times it could be recycled before there was nothing left to truly sustain it.

My body followed suit, while my large frame was surrounded by lean, sculpted muscles due to my augmentations, it was a similarly sickening shade of pale, near albino. No doubt due to the long periods of time in my armor and my lack of exposure with the sun throughout the war.

Big, splotchy bruises and scars littered my frame, along with dried sweat, giving my body a slight shine to it. My hand, arms, chest, shoulders, back, and legs were deeply scarred by lengthy incisions I received during the augmentations.

I noticed my thinner frame, the skin around my ribs tight and showing their form. Signs of malnourishment also dotted my body. Unnoticeable unless you were looking for it.

But none of that was what stuck out to me the most.

The thick, almost scruffy beard of reddish-brown hair covering my squared jaw was a glaringly large issue I needed to fix as soon as possible.

_Likewise_, I thought dryly, looking dully the hair on my head. Usually worn short, 3 months without a proper cut, left it untidy. Hair long enough that it brushed against my ears and matted across my forehead.

I reached up and brushed my fingers through my hair, before gripping the long locks tightly in my hand.

Way too long.

Honestly though, I thought a little snidely, it wasn't like I had access to proper grooming items. A little bit before the Battle of Earth, hours before I was called down to receive the Mark-VI armor, was the last time I had gotten a haircut and a good shave.

During the three months following the battle, I had barely found anytime to conduct any proper self-maintenance. Fighting from Earth, to hunting down Regret in Installation 05, before finding myself teleported inside High Charity, the heart of the Covenant, by the Gravemind. By the time I had been able to regroup with the UNSC, we were desperate.

We had wasted no time conducting further operations after my retrieval, having me go on back to back sorties as we fought for the survival of every living thing in the galaxy. Trying to put an end to both the Covenant's Great Journey and the Flood infection.

Still, as I stood at the sink staring at my reflection, naked as the day I was born. I realized that my self-grooming might be the last thing on most people's minds, as I looked at my chest.

The deep, large, hole on my chest, the size of both of my fists put together, angrily glared back up at me. The exact area where 343 Guilty Sparks shot me with his beam when he went rampant and betrayed us.

Since the laser hadn't breached my armor, I had believed that was the extent of the damage and pushed the lingering pain to the back of my head. I didn't even stop to think for a second that the damage from the blast had bypassed my armor instead, causing more damage to my body underneath it.

Taking off the under-armor brought me to the startling painful realization that I was wrong on that account. As I had gone to cryosleep soon after receiving the injury, my wound hadn't received enough time to heal properly. It had instead sealed itself shut on my skintight under-armor instead, fusing to the material. I was forced to peel it off my chest, layers of skin peeling off along with it, pus immediately gushing out to help it scab over. The layers of skin, muscles, and fat exposed like an anatomic doll, the flesh surrounding the wound flayed. The smell itself was pretty bad.

Then again it could've just been me. It's been awhile since my last shower.

I really wish I could say it only looked worse than it really was. Attentively, I gave the tiny piece of exposed white bone peeking out shyly in the dead center of my crisp charred flesh a small poke. I winced as my finger accidentally brushed against the inflamed skin surrounding it, the sensation feeling like liquid fire being poured inside my chest.

Great, now it's beginning to itch too.

_I love you._

I sighed and stopped playing with my wound and ignored the second hole I felt in my chest. There would be time later. Might as well get ready and stop wasting time, after all I had others waiting on me.

I opened the hygiene kit I acquired from the unused locker and began to rummage through it. After pulling out a new razor and a small bottle of shaving cream, I verified that it had a small bar of soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste, all unused.

A faint scent caught my nose, and I curiously pulled the bar of soap out the bag and unwrapped it, giving it a small sniff.

Huh, scented soap.

* * *

I swallowed the last piece of burrito in my mouth, the cold mixture of preserved tortilla, powdered eggs, and processed sausage going down my throat.

Lasky stared, the half-eaten protein bar in his hand forgotten.

I ignored it, instead reaching for a cold turkey wrap, taking a big bite of the food.

Damn it, I wished I had my armor on. I felt exposed.

Palmer stared as well, an amused look on her face as she leaned in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. A cup of steaming hot coffee in front of her.

I ignored it as well, opening the top of the fruit cup with my teeth before downing the contents inside it.

It continued like this for another minute, the only sounds at the table coming from me chowing down. It felt a little awkward.

Okay, _really _awkward actually.

"Uh, Chief?" Lasky began uncertainly. "You good there?" I raised an eyebrow, still chewing, reaching for the cold bottle of water at my side.

I swallowed. "Yes sir." I cracked the bottle open and took several sips, before putting it down, and looked back at the Commander. "Why do you ask sir? Is something wrong?" I asked quietly. He shook his head slowly, still staring, before he seemed to catch himself, one hand waving off the question as he scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, no Chief, I was just-, well- what I was trying to say- "

"What he's trying to say," Palmer interrupted, the grin still on her face as she reached for her cup of coffee. "Is if you think you got enough food there." She gestured with her cup, before taking a sip from it.

I looked down at my food, and blinked.

I had gotten in a good shave and shower, thoroughly enjoying the hot water provided by the Infinity's plumbing. The 'clothes' in the locker was a full set of Spartan-IV under-armor and utility suit along with a pair of boots. I had gotten changed quickly, taking care that I didn't further irritate my chest wound. I had to squeeze my feet into the boots though, as they were a size or two smaller than required.

Even with the clothing provided, I still felt naked without my armor. It had taken me a moment to even want to go out. Eventually, reluctantly, I suppressed my anxiety and left the locker room.

I had regrouped with the others. Aside from the slight widening of Palmer's eyes, they had made no comment of my appearance, and we quickly made our way to get food.

Though I noticed with slight interest, Lasky didn't seem to find my appearance all that disturbing or shocking. He looked like he'd seen it before and seemed almost sympathetic.

When we had first arrived at the chow hall, they had only been serving cold food. Due to it still being the 'night cycle' part of the day when we showed up, it would be a few hours before they would start cooking for everyone on board. I wasn't too hungry when I had arrived, so I simply got a cold sandwich, a single cup of fruit, and a bottle of water to help wash it down, while Lasky and Palmer got something for themselves.

When I had finished eating, I noticed I was still hungry, and left the table with a small 'excuse me' to my companions. I had gone and brought back 2 more sandwiches, and quickly ate those as well. It was then that I noticed just how _hungry _I really was, the 3 months of taking nothing more but recycled and liquid nutrition catching up with me and making me _ravenous_.

I had gotten up again, without another word, and simply grabbed whatever I can fit in my arms. I had filled it up to the brim with cold sandwiches, burritos, wraps, fruit cups, and several bottles of water, before walking back to the table. I had gotten the attention of my compatriots when I placed my 'meal' on the table. They didn't stop staring at me when I sat down, and they certainly didn't stop when I began to shovel the food into my mouth, only stopping when I needed to drink some water.

I stared at what remained of the food, which was probably a third of what I had grabbed. I felt a little bit uncomfortable, maybe I really did grab too much? I didn't want to seem greedy.

Then again…

"It's been 5 years since my last meal." I deadpanned, grabbing another cup of fruit, peaches this time. I tore the top off, to hell with it, I was hungry. "I think I earned it." I tossed back the fruit, eating it all in one go.

"Fair enough." She shrugged, taking another sip of her coffee as Lasky resumed eating slowly, polishing off the last of his protein bar.

We continued the meal in silence, but feeling a bit satisfied with my stomach now fuller and recollecting my composure after the message. I stopped eating and looked at Lasky, what he had said earlier still leaving me with an uneasy feeling. "Sir."

Lasky looked up from crumpling his wrapper, all that was left from his meal, and looked at me. "Yeah Chief?" I paused, a little unsure how to phrase it.

"Earlier," I began, hesitant. "You had said that I shouldn't have to fight any longer sir. What did you mean by that? Are the Covenant and Insurrectionists completely gone now?" I felt doubtful about that. Even if the UNSC expanded their SPARTAN-IV program, five years would be entirely too soon to get rid of _every single_ pocket of resistance throughout the colonies and space.

There would be too many splinter cells to take account of, both with the Insurrectionists and what remained of the Covenant. Plus, with the glassed planets we were forced to leave behind, it would be too easy for the Insurrectionists to simply make shop on them. They could launch unexpected guerilla attacks on any unaware recolonization efforts done by the UEG, delaying or stopping them entirely. With the UNSC most likely spread thin as well, it would be easy for them to disappear afterwards.

The Covenant had also been a huge militarized cult with mixed species, with the Sanghelli's becoming our allies in the last days of the war. The remaining species would probably keep a firm belief in the Covenant's theologies and try to continue their work. Perhaps there would be issues in leadership and the methods on what would be done, the remnants breaking off into smaller groups. Or perhaps they would all rally behind a competent enough commander, which would be an even worse scenario.

There would be entirely too many issues that 5 years wouldn't fix, perhaps a decade, but not sooner.

Lasky pursed his lips and clasped his hands together. He seemed to be looking for the right words as I waited, my gut twisting slightly at the silence.

"Chief, I'll be frank." he locked eyes with me. "About 2 years ago the remaining members of the SPARTAN-II program were decommissioned and put into retirement by ONI."

I froze. It was a slight thing, almost unnoticeable, the slight tensing of my shoulders and the straightening of my back the only things that would give me away to those paying attention.

I noticed Palmer narrowing her eyes, damnit.

"There was a freelance war journalist," He continued, not at all phased or not noticing how his words struck me. "Some guy named Benjamin Giraud, that ONI had hired to tell the story of the SPARTAN-II's. He went looking into the development of the program and the details behind it, I guess to make military propaganda all about your patriotic deeds throughout the war."

He smiled wryly. "Well I guess he upset the wrong people as he had gotten fired sometime during the job. Afterwards he started spouting some crazy accusations about ONI in retaliation."

He looked away. "He started a podcast on Waypoint called _Hunt The Truth: The Story Behind the Spartans-II's_ soon afterwards. All of this was going on during peace talks between the UEG and Sanghelli." He grimaced.

"When the talks were going to end a Spartan-II team, known as Blue Team, had infiltrated the conference and gunned down 19 humans and had kidnapped a human delegate and several Sanghelli's. The colonies were at an uproar and they were branded as traitors." He looked down.

I followed his gaze to my hand, which was clenched tightly into a fist. The skin was tight and white around my knuckles, crushing the food in my hand. I forced myself to relax and wiped off my hands. At the side Palmer watched me with lidded eyes, taking in my reaction. I swallowed. "What happened?"

Lasky looked thoughtful for a moment, before shrugging. "Mr. Giraud went on ECB news to deliver his findings to everyone. At the same time, after an investigation on the attack was done, the reason behind it had been revealed. It was shown that the Spartans had been responding to a planned attack done by an anti-alien terrorist organization called Sapien Sunrise, and they had saved the Sanghelli delegates while killing the terrorists who were undercover during the talks. Unfortunately, the human delegate had been mortally wounded during the attack and later passed from his wounds. There was evidence that showed the leader of Blue Team, Sierra-104, had tried to save the delegate the best he can."

I felt my lips twitch at the mention of Fred. Now that I knew my Spartans were found to be innocent of the attack, hell just knowing that my team had survived the war, filled me with relief. They must've been tipped off or found information from interrogating rebels during anti-terrorist operations.

Or they had showed up on orders from ONI.

I frowned again. "And the reporter?"

Lasky frowned and laced his fingers together in front of his face, looking slightly grim. "He had gone on air live where he had tried to implicate ONI on some inhumane experiments. Tried to say that the Spartans were kidnapped as children, replaced by clones or something. Crazy stuff. Well the news station verified that the files he had provided to them were fake, and it turned out he had connections to the Insurrectionists. Evidence was shown that he had helped fund and supply the attack during the peace talks. Also turned out that he oversaw the slandering of high-profile military figures for the rebels." He grimaced.

"He was called out for his terrorist's actions and the slandering of ONI and the Spartans themselves. He was promptly arrested on live television and taken into federal custody. As the most hated man in all of humanity too, for attempting to slander you. Hell, the united hatred everyone had for him was almost enough for the outer and inner colonies to resume trade. Unfortunately, there were rebels in the outer colonies who instead viewed him as a hero and called the entire fiasco a cover up for the UEG's crimes. They had begun using his actions as a rally for others to join their cause."

I see, ONI had probably used him as a scapegoat. To check on any possible leaks or inconsistencies the Spartan-II program story, or at least the one they were going to tell the public, may have had. When Mr. Guiraud found enough holes to leave them satisfied, they went and covered it all up. Either bribing or taking out anyone who he had worked with or may have contradicted their 'truth.'

It made sense why they would do it. With the war over, there would have been a good number of people that would have researched into the histories of the Spartans that had saved humanity. They needed to nip that idea at the bud before anyone could get their hands on the _real_ story on how we came to be.

It was easy to imagine the rebels using the information to demonize the members of the program and the UEG. The people in both the inner and outer colonies would begin to fear the ones governing them. After all, if they were willing to kidnap their children and conduct human experiments on them, what else were they willing to do? How far was far enough?

When I had gotten older, I understood the unethical boundaries the SPARTAN-II program had pushed in order to create us. After all we had been surgically augmented child soldiers who were taken from their homes. I firmly backed the creation of it though, viewing what had happened to us as a necessary sacrifice.

A convenient one too, as when the Covenant had begun their ethnic cleansing of humanity, we were the ultimate counter to their technologically superior military. While they were superior in the air and space, we had dominated nearly every battle on the ground we sortied in.

Who knows how much worse the war could have gotten had Halsey never gotten permission for the project? It may have made the war a lot shorter, especially when the Covenant had found the Halo rings.

And the Flood.

Cortana's words, I ignored the ache in my chest, proved to me that not everyone believed the same way I did. I could only dread the fallout if the actual truth came out.

Lasky continued, "Still, his words were enough to cause some unrest from some of the public in both the inner and outer colonies, mostly other conspiracy theorists. The rest just dismissed his words as nothing but delusional paranoia coming from a fanatic terrorist. He seemed to get really unhinged in his interview, saying all these weird things about ONI, almost as if they were some type of boogeyman you would have to look under your bed for." He shrugged again, smiling wryly this time.

"After he was taken into custody the UEG had released the truth of the Spartan-II program. How you were all willing, legal volunteers who allowed themselves to be safely augmented on. No more podcasts, no more conspiracy theories, and the public for the most part were happy with the given information. There were even people who started to make movies on the heroics of the Spartan-II's." I had to raise an eyebrow at that, they were making movies about us? I personally found the thought of it to be a bit outrageous, not to mention unnecessary.

"After the incidents, some people in higher positions, both in the civilian and military sides of politics, became curious about the welfares of the SPARTAN-II's. Or at least their psychiatric wellbeing after fighting for so long. After all," he unlaced his hands, a distant look on his face, as his left hand came to his chest to fiddle with something underneath his uniform. His dog tags perhaps?

"Many people saw the SPARTAN-II's as heroes during the war. Many remembered being saved by them, or at least them giving humanity a fighting chance against the Covenant. Chief. You've got to understand," He smiled genuinely. "Some of us are only here because of you." He pulled out what he was fiddling with under his top, his dog tags dangling as he presented them to me. That wasn't what caught my attention.

A small, worn smooth piece of metal hung next to them.

Seemingly catching my puzzled look, he grinned sheepishly. "You gave me this, after you killed the Hunters that tried to hunt us down. You had killed one of them but had used up all your ammo and grenades in order to put it down. The other was closing in on us and you were trying to figure out a way to kill it with your final grenade. I volunteered to be the decoy so you can get close to it."

I looked between Lasky and the item, familiarity with his story edging in my mind. Was it during the battle of Circinius IV? How long ago was that battle anyways? Looking at the piece of metal more closely, I gave Lasky a scrutinizing look, his face beginning to look familiar, and it wasn't long before it clicked.

I shot him a brief look. "Corbulo Academy. You were one of the cadets we had saved from there." I said simply.

The 4 terrified cadet trainees who were only a year older than me and my Spartans at the time. The heavy losses of life on the planet that occurred within minutes of the initial Covenant attack that left them the only survivors. The death of the female cadet that affected Lasky deeply enough to do a near suicidal charge after volunteering to be the decoy. My mind had quickly developed several possible reasons:

Was it a misguided sense of responsibility for her death?

Anger?

Fraternization between the two?

Love?

_I love you._

I disregarded that train of thought and focused.

Whatever had been the reason, it had nearly costed him his life, but had given me an opportunity to kill the hunter by shoving the grenade in its colony.

I remembered my initial thoughts of the cadet, after fiddling with a piece of the dead Hunter's armor I had picked up, was that the boy had been a suicidal idiot. Too emotional at the time. But as we flew away, the ravaged planet below us slowly getting smaller, I couldn't help but find myself respecting the cadets' choice to put himself in harm's way.

After all, wasn't that what being a soldier all about?

I gave him the broken piece of charred armor as a token of my respect, complimenting him on a job well done.

The same cadet, now a Commander, stared back at me now, a small smile on his face as I proved my remembrance of the event. He placed his tags on his neck and tucked them back in his top.

Now I realized why he didn't seem that surprised with my appearance, having seen both Fred and Kelly's faces when they removed their helmets after the mission. It perhaps gave him an idea what to expect with me.  
I remembered how one of the cadets had questioned us on our ages, and how I had reprimanded my team afterword's on the importance of keeping our identities a secret. Kelly had complained on how her helmet didn't feel right, as she had been given a replacement after the other one had been too damaged for field use in our prior mission. Fred could only grin sheepishly.

Palmer stared at the exchange with a raised eyebrow, silently absorbing the story of how I had saved her XO when he was younger. She simply took another sip of coffee and remained silent.

"I don't know if you've been told this, hell you might get told a thousand times when you get back home." He rubbed the back of his head again, I idly noted that must've been a nervous tick of his.

He stopped and stared at me straight in the eyes. "Thank you Chief. For saving me and for saving humanity. None of us could have been here if it wasn't for what you did." He stuck his hand out towards me, and I stared at it quietly for a second before reaching over and gripping his hand, giving it a firm shake with a small nod.

"Just doing my duty sir."

He smiled and let go of my hand as we fell into a small silence.

I felt uncomfortable.

It wasn't the first time I've been thanked for saving others, and it probably won't be the last, but it never ceased to leave me feeling bothered. I just didn't understand.

I was just doing my duty as a soldier. I didn't save and protect others for thanks or recognition for my efforts. I did it because, over the course of the war, what started off as my duty developed into a compulsion to save others and end this war.

It had been Dr. Halsey's last lesson to me: To save every person I can, no matter the cost.

I disliked seeing others get hurt or killed under my command, and I was often placed in battlefields or sorties that ended with casualties. They had often fallen because they lacked the advantages Spartans had to stay alive, as many of the missions we took part of had low rates of survival. I had often felt solemn when a soldier fell while under my command, or when we lost another colony to the Covenant, adding their deaths as another one of my failures.

I had to make sure their sacrifices weren't in vain by winning as many battles as I could.

It still wasn't enough for the longest of time.

The silence stretched on a little longer, long enough that even Palmer looked a bit uncomfortable.

I cleared my throat, I needed to get back on topic. "Sir, the Spartans?" Lasky looked up, but it was Palmer who answered.

"They were put into retirement after the peace-talks incident. There were politicians that had begun to doubt the necessity of the large funding the Spartan-IV program had. With others bringing concern about the mental readiness and operational free reign that the Spartan-II's had."

She looked a little exasperated of the thought. "It was easy to see that they felt a bit threatened by the thought of super soldiers going off and conducting their own operations without a proper leash."

She scowled, "Damn politicians. So, it was eventually decided that it was time to retire the Spartans-II's. Though, instead of completely going back into the civilian populous, they had decided to remain as military contractors, hired by ONI, to help train future Spartan-IV classes. They often teach combat classes and help newer recruits get used to their new augmentations during War Games." She gained a far away look in her eyes as she glanced to the side, the tell tales of a grimace on her lips.

"Still haven't won against them yet."

Troubling as the news was, I couldn't help but feel a small swell of pride at the confession.

I felt my lips twitch. "Don't worry, you're not the first." I couldn't help the small bit of snark in my voice.

Palmer furrowed her eyebrows a bit at my tone, before she smirked challengingly and leaned back in her chair. "Wanna see if you can keep that win streak up old man?"

Old man?

Lasky must've felt the tension rise between us as he raised up his hands in a placating gesture. "Relax you two. Before anything we have to bring the Chief to the Med-bay to get cleared." I felt my muscles loosen to the reasoning, Palmer across from me doing the same. "You done Chief?"

I looked at the remaining food. After being told the rather heavy news, I really didn't have much of an appetite anymore. Shame, I'm not one who usually throws out good food.

I collected my scraps and trash and nodded.

* * *

I held back the urge to get up and pace around as I sat alone in the doctor's office. I would honestly prefer going through a round with an Elite Zealot or Brute Chieftain than see a doctor.

While I did have slight ticks, gained from seeing needles after my augmentation procedure, they weren't the reason why I disliked seeing doctor's. I actually respected them quite a bit, as they were often the reason why fatally injured soldiers or civilians saw another day during the war. I knew what I knew, but the real medical professionals were on another level than I was.

It was more along the lines that when I went to get an examination, there was something always wrong with me.

'_Why are you fighting with a concussion_?' Light duty.

'_Why are you still moving after you dislocated your ankle, fractured your collar bone, and have internal bleeding_?' Light duty.

'_How are you still alive_?' Light duty.

Spartans and rest didn't work too well, and we would often frustrate doctors when we had gotten bored. Either because we would later find ourselves engaged in activities that would either aggravate our current wounds, or, especially in my case, ended with us receiving even more injuries.

I couldn't help the fact I was good at blowing stuff up, it just happened.

A thought that crossed my mind was that most of them rather have us strapped to a bed in order for us to receive our rest. With them watching over us like hawks in case we tried to move, tranquilizer at hand.

A small knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. A nurse walked in after a few seconds, clipboard in hand, a small smile on her face, and a large hospital gown draped over her arm.

She looked as if she had just woken up.

Her dark hair had been done in a hasty bun, strands of hair sticking out in multiple areas. There were small bags under her eyes, and the strong smell of coffee and antiseptics wafted off her. Her scrubs had slight wrinkles on them, adding to her unkempt look.

She set down the gown on a nearby chair and shot me another smile before looking down at her clipboard. Her eyebrows furrowed a bit and she looked at me with an uncertain look on her face.

"Mister 117?"

I nodded curtly. She quickly reverted to her previous disposition at that and went to work.

What followed was standard procedure, some questions on how I felt, checking my blood pressure, my vitals, my ears, the works. I honestly found her professionalism refreshing to be honest, aside from a few glances to my face when she thought I wasn't looking, she was direct and straight to the point.

"Any discomfort or pain we need to know of?" she asked as she wrote on her clipboard.

I thought, and a slight itch reminded me of it. "I have a burn on my chest." I informed her. She nodded and finished writing on her clipboard.

When she was finished, she tucked the clipboard under her arm and handed me the gown. "Please change into this, the doctor will be with you soon."

I nodded and took it from her. I waited until she left the room before I began to strip, kicking off my boots and removing the utility suit, being extra cautious not to further irritate my chest wound as I took off the under-armor. A slight sucking sound came from it as I carefully pulled the polymer material away from it. I ignored the pain that came from the action, and quickly donned the gown and folded my clothes on a nearby chair before taking a seat and waiting once more.

The room was well air conditioned; I suppressed a shiver.

It was a bit chilly.

I waited less than five minutes before there was another knock on the door, an older man wearing a white coat over his scrubs walked in and took a seat, giving me a patient smile.

He stuck his hand out, "Doctor Lacy, it's an honor Chief."

I held back a frown at the sudden familiarity but shook his hand regardless. His smile got a little wider.

After I let go, he began looking over the clipboard the nurse had given him, as she stood a little ways back, with a keen eye.

"Seems like you're in good health, aside from being a bit underweight." He gave me a once over, his eyes trailing over my bruises and scars. "But I do want to do a more in-depth examination." His eyes returned to the clipboard and narrowed ever so slightly.

"You said you had a burn on your chest?"

I nodded. It started to itch again.

He rested the clipboard on his leg and stared at me curiously. "May I see it?"

I pulled down the front half of my gown wordlessly.

"…"

The clipboard fell from the now ashen-faced doctor's limp fingers with a small sound. The nurse, also similarly pale, gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as they gazed at my chest wound in all its glory.

I held back a sigh.

This was why I didn't like seeing doctors.

* * *

After receiving a rather large amount of antibiotics that I would have thought to have been lethal with the amount given to me, they had immediately begun cleaning and dressing the wound. Along with any injuries I may have had with the equipment they had at hand. When they had believed the treatment they had given me was adequate for the moment, they had made several follow up appointments and asked if I had any further questions.

Doctor Lacy looked livid when I asked him if I could enter cryosleep anytime soon.

I was confused when he began to sternly scold me on the importance of resting and taking care of my body. Though it quickly formed to annoyance when he gave me the slip of paper I didn't want to see.

A light duty slip.

I had almost grumbled when I accepted it, and he had left soon after, coming back with several prescription pain relievers.

He admitted to me that there were several other examinations he had wanted to perform on me but had lacked the facilities on the ship to do so. Instead saying that he would get with someone with the proper facilities when we docked.

Wherever that would be.

After making sure that I had understood what having a light duty slip entailed, he once again told me that he wanted to keep an eye on my wound. He soon left, with the nurse reminding me of my later appointment's. I was free to go back when I had changed again.

Afterwards, when I had gotten back together with Lasky and Palmer, they informed me that my quarters had been prepared for me. I still had felt a little sullen at being unable to go back into cryosleep, but quickly got over it. So we had made our way to the crew's quarters, the NCO section where my room was located.

It was a little more than I expected. When I had asked about it, Lasky had explained to me:

Soldiers and lower enlisted had roommates, two to a room, and communal shower and toiletry facilities.

Non-Commissioned Officers had a room to their selves, while sharing a bathroom in between another's room.

While Officers had both a room and bathroom all to their selves.

It seemed like they had gone out of their way to give me as much space as possible though, as I had no one to share a bathroom with, the room next to mine unoccupied. My room was also out of the way, in one corner of the hallway where no one, unless they were snooping around, would need to be near to.

"Just making sure you have some privacy Chief." Lasky told me when I had asked about my accommodates. With everything done for the day, he then dismissed me and headed back to his station of duty, Palmer trailing behind him slightly.

A strange thought came to my mind about those two before I shook it off and entered my room.

It was simple and clean. A bed with fresh linen on top in one corner of the room, a nightstand next to it. A wall locker next to the bed. Along with a miniature fridge by the wall in the middle of the room. A desk and chair hugging the wall near the door.

It honestly felt a bit luxurious, and I almost went outside the room to verify that this was the right barracks.

In most ships I had been on, before ONI had deemed our exposure necessary for the war, I had slept in bays with my fellow Spartans. With nothing more than a bed and a footlocker, and our own personal communal showers.

It had been that way since I was six years old, and, for the most part, it had stayed the same since.

Well, until our existence had been exposed to the public. After that it was either that or our own cryotube to sleep in as we went to our next deployment, but as the war wore on, the latter became necessary. We needed to be ready at a moment's notice as we never knew where the Covenant would hit us next. But it seemed like either those days were in the past, or it showed exactly how much funding and time went into constructing The Infinity.

It felt a little overwhelming, having a place to myself.

I sighed and made my way to the bed, turning off the lights. It emitted a small creak as it adjusted to my weight as I sat on top of it. I ignored the urge to scratch my freshly bandaged chest, and instead rubbed my eyes wearily as I processed all that I had learned today.

_I love you._

While I had been told some information on what happened during the five years I've been away, there was still plenty I needed to know.

_Goodbye John._

At least I knew my Spartans were alive, and while I didn't know who specifically I at least had a good idea. I still needed a way to get more information though.

Maybe Lasky could help, he seemed helpful enough, maybe he can point him in the right direc-

_I love yo-_

Unable to ignore the ache in my chest any longer I dug my hand into my pocket and pulled it out.

Her chip. The blue luminosity coming from the data crystal dulled, signifying its lack of AI.

"_Cortana_." I didn't care that my voice sounded weak, vulnerable.

'_I love you._' She had said. The words left an odd feeling in me, bringing a strange warmth to my chest.

Love. Such a foreign word in my head, but also distantly familiar. The memory of someone who was kind and smelled of soap went through my mind, but I couldn't remember who they were. I disregarded the thought and laid down on the bed, chip still in hand.

I began to brush my fingers around the data crystal, and I thought to Cortana's other words, other one's that, now that I thought of it, left me feeling unsure.

Don't be a machine. What did she mean by that?

I wasn't a machine. I was a soldier. A soldier with a duty to protect humanity, whatever the cost.

Contrary to popular belief, we Spartans can still feel emotions, we just don't show them often. We were trained not to feel but to act when the situation arises. Of course, the indoctrination didn't work as well for some as it did most of us. Some resisted, sometimes violently, to it when we were younger. As we grew older, and the war became worse for us, that indoctrination helped many of us focus and achieve victory on many battlefields. We never let our emotions dictate our actions, always putting the mission first.

I had avoided showing how I truly felt, as colonies were glassed and we lost battle after battle. I had lost many throughout the years too, but we had a war to win, and my feelings would not change the facts in front of me. My Spartans and troops needed me to be strong for them, so for their sakes, I accepted those losses and moved on.

I'll be faster next time; I would tell myself. I would be stronger. I wouldn't be too late.

Then Reach had happened.

Carefully, I cradled the chip to my chest and held it there, staring up at the ceiling

Still they had died, and we had continued to lose the war.

I thought back to Halsey's last lesson she taught me back on the Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice.

_I saved who I can._

We had won the war, in the end. After 27 long years of fighting.

I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep, but I knew, deep inside, that I was in for a long night. My latest failure laid on my chest.

_What do I do for those I couldn't save?_


	3. Feather 3

** On An Eagles Wings**

**((Author's Note:**

**Another chapter down, and so we reach the conclusion of the prologue. Little longer than my first two.**

**Some more info dumps here and there.**

**Things are getting hectic at work, so I may not be able to keep up this update schedule for the rest of this month, or until it settles down some.**

**As always, loving the support guys and as always critique me on what y'all liked and didn't like.**

**((SPOILERS)) Skip if you don't want any**

**Serin-019: Always bothered me how she never had more screen time in the games. But introducing her isn't going to be a one-time thing. She will have a bigger role later.**

**Blue Team: The reunion was a little tough, as I sought to make them a little more relaxed with their current roles, enough to make John uncomfortable, but not alienated.**

**Kelly: Really tried to make her and John's interactions meaningful, as I always believed she was up there with Cortana in a way. Or with how John felt about her, always having dreams of her and stuff. Of course, retirement made her a little more open with her fellow Spartans, but John, who hasn't had the same amount of time to loosen up, will have a bit of a tough time getting used to the idea.**

**John: If anyone actually reads this I have a question, should I give him a surname to compliment his civilian identity, as it's not his real name? Or should I do my best to keep it shrouded in mystery? Let me know. Anyways, nothing but surprises ahead for him, with him trying desperately to make sense of everything. There was many things I believed he should've learned about, but all this book and comic stuff never seem to reach him, and he goes along, seemingly ignorant of many things. Not here, here he learns quite a bit, and it leaves him with many questions…**

**Next chapter will include John's introduction to the Sekirei species, along with another reunion, and him trying to adjust to his new life as it tries its best to keep him down.**

**As always, please read and review)))**

**I don't own anything.**

**Feather 3**

The following week had passed on with little difficulty. The next day Lasky had informed me that we were headed to Earth, and that a general gag order about my survival had been put throughout the Infinity. As it would've brought too much attention to the ship, both good and bad. So, no one could communicate my survival with outside sources.

Without a doubt done with ONI's influence.

I had gone to my daily checkups with Dr. Lacy as well, where he had continued doing his physical examinations. By the time we were done with the last examination, my wounds having been treated, he had slight bags under his eyes and seemed to have a cup of coffee constantly at hand. To him I may as well been a medical marvel due to the extent of my injuries. Or something that, with all his medical expertise, he just couldn't fathom. I wasn't too sure, as he just seemed exasperated by the end of it.

When we were done, I had asked if I was cleared for cryosleep. He had approved me without further question, most likely eager to get back to working with other patients who didn't make him question his line of logic.

I had felt eager when I heard that, as the past week had been a trying time. I was not used to having a lot of time to myself, at least for long periods of it.

I had tried going to the gym to get rid of my excess energy, but there had always been crowded with too many Spartan-IVs going at the weights or machines, so I to work around the time when it was the busiest.

Being in a quiet place alone for long periods of time had been hard as well, my mind often drifting to more painful trains of thought as time passed.

Though I had gleamed some information of a few of the events that had occurred since I've been floating in space from a tablet, something I had _tactically acquired _from the Recreation Hall on board the Infinity.

It had taken me a while to figure out how to use it, but, with my knowledge on tac-pads and data pads, I had an idea on what to do.

It was how I found the massive plethora of knowledge known as Waypoint.

It surprised me at how easy it was to access the information, not to mention just how much the public was allowed to know. It was still a useful tool regardless; few taps and I had a whole list of events that had occurred.

I learned of the Blooding Years, also known as the Sanghelli Civil War, that occurred soon after the end of the war. How the Arbiter's _Swords of Sanghelios_ engaged in armed conflict with the Servants of Abiding Truth led by Avu Med 'Telcam, who was succeeded by Jul 'Mdama later. It was brought to a temporary ceasefire by Lord Terrance Hood after a while.

The Sanghelli's war with the Jiralhanae's had continued long after the war, with the tides turning in the favor of the Arbiters forces after it had ended. As I read, I felt a bit impressed with his resourcefulness and his ability to fight on two fronts, and how both the conflicts had ended in cease fires.

Though I had narrowed my eyes a bit on reading on how fanatical some of the Elite's had been on their war with the Brute's, reminding me of the same brutality they had showed humans during the war.

After the war, a joint UNSC-Sanghelli diplomatic dispatch was sent to Ealen IV to begin negotiations with the Jiralhanae. Unfortunately, the meeting was disrupted by Remnant forces, and no peace was attained.

My lips had begun to curl back at the thought of making peace with them, but I had suppressed my feelings and continued my research.

It seemed that, for the most part, the Insurrectionists had all but disappeared. Of course, there were some outer colonies they still had influence in, and they had attacked the UNSC a few times. One of those times being when they had raided the Infinity before it had left to support the Sword of Sanghelios during their civil war.

Several other battles had gotten my attention, like the battle of Ven III, as it had led to us finding the Kig-Yar pirate kingdom and destroying it with coordinated air attacks from the Infinity.

It had taken me several days to sort through all the information, and by the end of it, I had been left perplexed. It had only confirmed my thoughts that both the Insurrectionist and Covenant, or at least the remnants of it, were still active throughout space.

Without the Spartan-II's to combat them.

_Why?_

I did understand the controversies and possible damages the whole fiasco with Benjamin Giraud and the peace talks may have caused, but ONI wasn't one to usually bend to the wants to a few nervous politicians instead of the needs of humanity as a whole.

I hope I can get my answers when we arrive to Earth.

They didn't give me back my armor, to my annoyance. Said that the data in it would be retrieved and sent to those with the proper security clearances to examine. Most likely ONI. They let me keep the under-armor and utility suit though. I had soon found myself back inside a cryotube, staying in cryosleep for the remaining duration of the trip to Earth.

I had awoken when we arrived.

Lasky peered down at me as I blinked blearily. I breathed in and flexed my hand. The remaining chill of the cryosleep leaving my body as I flexed it. After a few seconds when I felt satisfied with my condition, I reached for one edge of the pod and heaved myself out, landing firmly on my feet with the lightest of thuds reaching my ears.

I looked down to my side, where Lasky stood, a hand on his hip and a smile on his face as he stared back. "Welcome back again Chief." He ribbed warmly.

I felt my lips twitch. "Good to be back sir."

I looked around and noticed the technicians at the console were working quickly, seems like they were eager to leave.

Lasky noticed my gaze. "Don't mind them Chief." He said. "They're just excited to go on shore leave. After all it's been 7 months since their last one, they're just antsy."

Ah. That made sense, most people may develop a sense of claustrophobia when being in ships for long periods of time. Could cause stress to those affected and even paranoia if not given enough time off the ship to vent.

I never enjoyed being in space myself, a feeling shared with all Spartans, especially space battles. Made me feel helpless. Too many ways to die suddenly in battle.

I nodded, "Will we be leaving anytime soon?" I asked, curious. Lasky nodded, and with a small gesture to follow, began making his way out of the cryogenic chamber. I followed.

"Most of the crew had already left the ship for their leave." He explained as we made our way through a set of doors. "So, we decided that now was a good time as any to pretty much 'sneak' you off the ship. Less people to see you, and we don't have to worry about many getting curious." We walked in an elevator and with a press of a button, we began to descend.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "So where are we on Earth?"

"We're in Australia Chief. We docked at the HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6 in Sydney. Headquarters of the UNSC and our _friendly neighborhood_ Office of Naval Intelligence." Lasky replied, sarcastically at the end.

He gave me a sympathetic look as the doors opened. "You got some _very_ important spooks who want to talk to you. And they're not gonna wait or take 'no' for an answer." We quickly shuffled out into the hanger bay as a pelican, with its engines on, patiently waited for us.

We entered and buckled ourselves in, and it soon took off from the Infinity. Lasky glanced at me. "Nervous?"

I shrugged, not really phased at the thought of talking to some ONI personnel. I actually wanted to hurry up and get this over with, the sooner I finish the debrief, the sooner I would, hopefully, see my Spartans.

"They probably want to debrief me." Or at the least, have me answer several questions about the Halos, or fill in any blanks they may have had.

Or inform them of the fate of Cortana.

I ignored the tightening of my chest, exhaling as I began to drum my fingers on my leg.

Lasky noticed my actions, but didn't comment, he never did, and I was grateful for it.

He instead smirked. "Palmer's gonna be disappointed you know." I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You never did that War Game she wanted; she might even say you're scared." He teased.

I didn't even try to hide it this time, I snorted. "It would've been interesting." I finally decided to say. I shrugged, "There will be other opportunities later." After all I should be joining my fellow Spartans as a military contractor soon after retiring. She'll get her War Game soon enough.

"Tell her though," I felt the edge of my lips curl into a smirk. "I don't plan on losing."

They won't stand a chance against a reunited Blue Team. That win streak won't be ending anytime soon.

Lasky grinned back.

We fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound coming from the engine of the pelican. I glanced at the Commander.

Lasky had been a welcomed acquaintance during my stay at The Infinity. When I needed something, he had often gone out of his way to accommodate me. At first this had made me apprehensive, thinking he was doing this with ulterior motives in mind, or even that he was hired by ONI to keep a firm eye on me. Making sure I kept away from the crew and didn't divulge in any possible secrets I may have known about the rings or about myself.

Not like I went out much, often going out of my way to avoid everyone, mostly Palmer.

Her constant insistence to allow me to participate in War Games had begun to get on my nerves. Mostly because the doctor had overheard one of the times she asked, and he had given me a stern talking to.

'_Why are you yelling at me?'_ I remembered saying in frustration, as Palmer slinked away with a smirk, leaving me at the mercy of the doctor. '_It wasn't even _my_ idea.'_

It still irritated me damn it…

Which is why I was left pleasantly surprised, when I realized Lasky was none of those.

He was _genuinely _comfortable with my presence. Maybe it was because I saved his life back then, but the realization still had left me a bit stunned. Still, it had been nice, having someone I could somewhat trust onboard the Infinity, as Captain Del Rio wanted nothing to do with me. I still found it hard to keep a conversation with him, often falling into an awkward silence. He didn't seem to mind though, often filling in my silence with his own words.

He was also quick on reading my moods too. When I had fallen into my darker train of thoughts during my research, he had given me space when I needed it without a word, something I was grateful for.

The slight rock of the pelican landing interrupted my thoughts as we finally made it to our destination. I peered out the open hatch and saw an ONI agent in black further down the helipad, covering their face from the winds being pushed from the pelican.

The Commander peered out too, and saw the agent. "Looks like this is where we go our separate ways Chief." He turned to me with a small glance as I unbuckled myself and stood. "Good luck Chief, hope retirement goes well."

I nodded and began to make my way down the ramp, before I stopped halfway. After some hesitance I turned back to him. "Lasky," I dropped the formality as I made my way back. "Thanks." I stuck out my hand. Lasky looked surprised, before he grinned and unbuckled himself from his seat. He quickly stood and took my hand in a firm handshake.

"It's Tom Chief, and it's been an honor. Hopefully we'll run into each other sometime." He let go and I stepped back. "If we do, I'll treat you to a drink." He offered, and I pondered it for a second, before nodding.

I never drank before, and I didn't find myself wanting to anytime soon, but I should be respectful of the offer at least.

With our farewells over, I turned before I marched down the ramp and towards the agent who had been patiently waiting. It was night out, and it was still late fall, but the air was warm and humid as I made my way.

He dropped his arm as the pelican began to fly away, and grinned widely at me. He spoke in a thick Australian accent, "Aye Chief. It's been awhile, ain't it. How you doin'." The agent spoke cheerfully. I paused, taken aback at the friendliness and positive attitude this ONI agent had.

Did I know this man?

At my puzzled look the agent scowled and began waving his arms frantically. "'Hey now! You can't tell me you forgot about your good old buddy! Chief!" He whined. He slumped when I only kept my puzzled look. I examined him closely, now that I thought about it….

He recovered quickly "I see then, guess the lack of air in space messed with ya head a bit yeah?" I raised an eyebrow.

Excuse me? Was he trying to insult me? I felt myself become slowly agitated, but repressed it, instead just giving him a blank look. He seemed to catch on to my displeasure quickly.

He coughed before he… struck a pose? Chest puffed out, hands on his hips, and head held high as he stood proudly. "Aye! The name's Chip Dubbo! The Unstoppable Marine and Flood Hunter, turned Ultimate Spook! At your service Chief!" It may have been my imagination as I heard an eagle cry out in the background as he finished his small introduction.

What?

I blinked at the introduction, not expecting it, and it didn't take long before it all suddenly clicked.

Oh.

_Oh._

* * *

"… and I approached it with the stick! I figured, 'Crickey, I faced these bastards before back on Halo, and even though they were scary looking space zombies, they couldn't take me down!'" Dubbo's boasted, as we continued walking down the empty halls.

"It must've smelled me or something, because it turned to me, roaring at my face, tentacles thrashing!" He gesticulated wildly as he told his story, before he smirked and glanced at me. "But I wasn't scared of the bugger! I took my stick and beat him with it until it was nothing more than a pulp! Ya hear? A pulp!"

He snickered, his face preening at the memory. "His friends didn't like that! And soon they came, dozens of them! But I took my stick and armed myself with a rock, and like the days of old, I fought them with nothing with my wits and pure marine grit!"

Dubbo tossed his head back and let loose a bark of laughter, pure glee on his face. "They never stood a chance! I faced scarier things in my backyard back home." He suddenly sobered, looking solemn. "The stick didn't make it though, only the rock and I, but it sacrificed itself valiantly! As it gave me enough time to grab a shotgun from the dead bastards and shoot them in the face with it! And when I ran out of ammo I- oh we're here." He cut himself off, as we made it to a nondescript door near the end of the hall.

I almost exhaled loudly in relief, but instead clenched my jaw and did it quietly through my nose.

From the moment he began his story I could feel my bewilderment grow slightly at he described bits and pieces of his continued survival on both Halo's, High Charity, and Earth. The stories were enough to make even me feel a bit incredulous, but what stopped me from calling out his bluff was the fact that I remembered him being there, fighting beside me.

Every. Single. Time.

So, I simply kept my silence and a straight face as he recounted his 'adventures', and hoped I could see another agent soon enough, as his exuberance was enough to keep me feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Dubbo scratched the side of his head. "Aye, looks like this is the end of the line for now mate." He looked at me with a grin. "Don't worry though, I feel like we'll be seeing each other again soon enough."

He gave me a small smile, and gently pounded his fist on my chest, I twitched. "For what it's worth though, it's good seein you alive and well sir. It wasn't the same without ya." I remained silent, looking at him stonily. With my silence and his piece said, Dubbo shot me another smile as he stepped out of the way. He was quiet now, and with nary a sound, he turned and began to steadily walk away.

I stared at his back for a few seconds until it vanished as he turned a corner. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes with my fingers tiredly. What a strange guy.

Dropping my hand, I stared at the door and frowned, anticipation filling my gut as I put my hand in my pocket and fingered the data crystal still in there. My mind began to race on all of the possible questions they may ask me, Halo, The Flood, Truth. Though one stayed prevalent in my mind, and I only felt dread at the thought of it. Of Cortana_._

_I love you._

I pursed my lips and banished the feeling; it was unnecessary right now. I had to keep myself focused at the here and now. I inhaled, exhaled, my mind focused, and entered the room.

It was dim. The only light coming from the room being a single bulb hanging above a solitary table, leaving every corner of the room carefully enveloped in shadow.

Along with the figure seated on the other side of the table, data pad laid in front of them.

I examined the woman quietly as she returned the favor.

I could see well under low light environments due to my augmentations, better than most people can. She was rather tall, much shorter than me, but only by a few inches it seemed. I could make out her black hair, tied into a tight bun, not a strand out of place, brown eyes, and the slight wrinkles on an otherwise smooth face. Middle-aged I would place her. Her grey uniform was pressed and neat, not a disturbance in sight. Her appearance was immaculate and when combine with the shadows, it was moments like these was when I realized just why the others named them 'Spooks.'

I could feel my eyes narrow slightly, I felt like I had met her before, I just couldn't place where or when.

With both our examinations done, I walked up as she stood, and I got a good look of the Admiral patches sown on the shoulder of her uniform.

I stopped at the opposite end of the table and clicked my heels together. "Ma'am."

She narrowed her eyes, before a small polite smile came to her lips.

It didn't go well with her cold eyes.

She nodded and I relaxed. "Welcome back Chief. Seems like you're the only Spartan that went 'MIA' that actually came back." I stiffened at the offhand remark and she smirked. "Then again you were always full of surprises when we were younger John."

I scowled at the casual mention of my name and glared at her for even using it, but I felt confused at the latter half of her words. When we were younger? What did she mean by that?

Why did she seem so familiar? Damnit.

As if she could sense my confusion, her smirk grew larger as she retook her seat and folded her hands in front of her. "You don't remember huh? How you used to make fun of me back when I ate everyone else's leftovers." Her smirk turned bitter. "Then again after what _Halsey_ did to us, I can imagine that you forgot the one's that didn't quite make the cut."

My scowl lessened, but I kept my brows furrowed as I thought. I never forgot the ones I lost during the augmentation procedure, their faces perhaps, but never their names. Most memories of my training days were quite repressed, leaving my mind feeling a bit muddled as I tried to remember. I vaguely remembered it, how I used to tease one of my Spartans for eating our leftovers after training exercises back during our days on Reach.

God, that life felt like a lifetime ago now, we were pretty happy back then, before the war, before the augmentations.

Before Sam.

Like the past revelations I learned during my stay in the Infinity, it didn't take me long to put a name to the face.

I stared at the ghost in front of me numbly, my lips parting.

But I thought that she…

I felt my throat clench. "Serin?" I said with uncertainty, trying not to let the hope and confusion I felt leak into my voice. The cold look in her eyes faded away to something a degree warmer, and the smirk turned into a small smile, just barely a twitch of her lips.

"_Admiral_ Serin _Osman_ now, somethings have changed since we last saw each other John." Serin-019 replied as she gestured to the seat opposite of her.

I took it gratefully, ignoring as it emitted a low groan at my weight, and swallowed. I felt at a loss for words as my tongue felt heavy, making me stumble over my words. "You- They-," I closed my eyes and exhaled out my nose in an attempt to calm myself. I was mostly successful, but that was enough.

"You died." I finished softly. I saw them jettison the casket with her number into space during that funeral so long ago, alongside the many others that didn't make it during the augmentations. My very first failure as a leader, and I lost so many within the span of minutes.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be my last.

Serin gave me a slight sympathetic look. "After what happened because of _that woman_," I felt myself tense slightly at the venom in her voice, and 'that woman', was she talking about Halsey? I almost shook my head in disbelief at the thought, my mind going back to Cortana and her thoughts of our creator.

Was what she did to us really that wrong?

She continued, "I was to be declared dead to those still in the program with several others who had 'washed out' as well. Some of us were able to recover enough with a few surgeries and be put to work by ONI. It wasn't easy keeping you all in the dark, but with how the war was headed I needed to keep my anonymity from the others and you." She admitted and I could only clench my jaw at the confession, a part of me feeling betrayed at the lies I was told by _both_ Mendez _and_ Halsey.

_You win by surviving John_.

They had survived damnit, and no one ever told me.

But…

"You had said there were others. Did they recover too? Are they also part of ONI?" I asked rapidly. I was eager to know about the fate of the others that had 'died'. Are they still okay? Were they conducting operations around the outer colonies? Or are they fighting the Covenant Remnants?

My palms began to itch.

Serin grimaced a little at my questions, before her face morphed back to her professional façade. She cut me off from asking any further questions with a raised hand. She pursed her lips and folded both arms around her chest, leaning in her chair.

"As much as I would like to tell you, that's not what we're here for right now John." She dismissed, and I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from snapping. I pursed my lips and exhaled, my body relaxing as I pushed down these emotions.

I idly noticed that since my retrieval I've been easier to agitate, my irritation rising quickly in stressful or surprising situations, but I was quick to control myself from any actual outbursts.

Then again, having to catch up on current events and situations have left me a little tense, and now finding out I was lied to so long ago by the ones I trusted most. I think my bouts of irritation were rather justified. Then again, I haven't exactly snapped yet, nor will I.

_Don't let them see you bleed. _Sam's words might as well have been a blessing in disguise, or a curse depending on how you see it.

It kept me focused for the most part.

It was also hard to live by those words, sometimes.

The itch in my palms faded, and I stared coolly at Serin, _Admiral Osman,_ I corrected myself. It seemed that she was the head of ONI now, so who knows just how much she has changed since I last saw her.

_Osman_ cleared her throat and reached for the data pad and tapped away at it for a moment, before placing it down, I noticed a record icon on the screen, and looked at me. "I will be asking a series of simple questions regarding the moments you entered stasis vestibule during your last deployments during the war. We have visuals from the local sensor array and the Mjolnir's armor camera."

I was confused with the term, as I never had heard it before. "Stasis vestibule?" I echoed questionably, wanting her to elaborate.

Osman folded her hands in front of her. "Data analysis retrieved from your armor showed that your vitals had spiked several times before entering extremely low levels, low enough that you were even identified as KIA by our sensors during these moments. It was also shown that your brain activity, even with your low vitals, had shot through the roof, signifying high levels of mental stress. It was shown that you were only able to move because of your neural connection to the Mjolnir armor systems. Do you recall this?"

I clenched my jaw, but nodded. "Yes ma'am." My neck throbbed, my visions of Cortana, and Gravemind's intrusions on my mind coming to the forefront of it.

She continued. "On December 11, 2552, after killing Truth with the Arbiter at the Citadel on Installation 00, you went to the Flood infested High Charity to retrieve UNSC AI Cortana. What was her state when you finally managed to reach her?"

Damaged. Violated. Weak. Unstable. Broken.

I cocked my head to the side slightly, emotions now a distant memory. "Functional."

Osman raised a brow at my answer. "Functional? There were no defects of note?"

"There were slight defects, but she was functional. Enough to accomplish the mission objective."

"Referring to the activation of Installation 08?"

"The replacement Halo was the only way to stop the Flood."

"We know. Though the data retrieved from your armor shows that Cortana had the Activation Index from the first ring. Did she tell you of her intention of keeping it?"

I hesitated for barely a moment. "No."

"Not reporting the acquisition of a class 9B secret is a serious violation of Article-2477 of the UNSC Charter for Xenoarcheological Artifact Recovery and Quarantine." Osman declared clinically, and I frowned.

"…" It wasn't like it mattered anymore what Cortana did and didn't do.

She seemed to catch on to my silence, she continued. "…Were there any notable defects with Cortana, as far as you could tell?"

"There weren't many: response times, synchronization and diagnostic alerts, things of that nature. Nothing tactically damaging."

"I see, a Software Trauma Analysis filed in 2553 indicates you had entered stasis vestibule shortly after you arrived back to Earth on November 17, 2552? Cortana was reported to have been left on High Charity during this time no?"

"Can you clarify on what you meant by 'messages'?"

"The report reads 'residual interface anomalies.' You had thought it to be a malfunction with your armor correct?"

"At first, but the diagnostics checked out."

"What were the nature of these messages?"

"They were brief messages, words. They were generally incoherent."

"For our records, can you state if these were from Cortana."

I rolled my shoulders in a small shrug as I replied. "It's as the reports said, the trauma team analyzed the data and ruled that it was nothing more than echoes of Cortana's personality matrix she left behind after we were separated on High Charity."

She frowned and gave me a searching look. "Did you ever discuss this with Cortana after you two were reunited?"

I shook my head. "No." I didn't believe it was the proper time for her to receive that line of questioning after recovering her. Not in the state I had found her in.

"The STA says this may have been caused by her extensive data consumption on the first Halo ring, Installation 04?"

I exhaled out of my nose and pursed my lips. "That's what the report said." I said distantly, looking at my hands.

Osman narrowed her eyes at my actions and leaned in on the table, it wasn't until I raised my eyes back to hers that she asked. "Do _you_ agree with the report 117?"

I looked at my hands once more, I hesitated in my answer.

No, I didn't, at least not completely.

I knew the Gravemind tortured her, violated her, and desecrated Cortana's very being for the few weeks we were separated. I remembered the feelings each 'message' gave me: pain, fear, sorrow, loss, hopelessness, and anger. Perhaps a result of the Gravemind trying to force Cortana into early rampancy.

And each time I was bombarded by these emotions, I could feel it inside me, like a tug on my very being as it cried out for me.

A cry for help.

It had stirred a sort of deep and primal feeling within me, something I hadn't been able to identify during those moments. It was just that when they had happened, I was often forced to take a second to recollect myself as I sifted through the wide spectrums of emotions wild enough to make me feel physically ill.

It had been even worse when the Gravemind had invaded my mind.

While Cortana's had made me feel sporadic and uncontrollable, the Gravemind had made me feel small. It was as if I was nothing but a speck of dust being prodded and examined by something I can never understand, never escape from, never defeat with my own two hands. Every time it's presence had entered my mind it had felt like it was seconds away from ripping my entire existence into shreds and consuming my very being, that I was only alive due to it's sickening curiosity to see just _how much_ my mind would take as it lightly prodded.

It was only due to it being more focused on breaking Cortana, that I didn't receive all its attention.

I honestly couldn't say with absolute certainty that I would survive the same ordeal Cortana went through, as I highly doubted I could even figure out on where to start on countering these psychological, almost psychic attacks. I hadn't even known that the Gravemind had the ability to even harm A.I.'s, having believed it to only affect those on the biological spectrum.

I should've known better, after all these were the same parasites that had forced even the Forerunners, an even mightier and technologically superior alien race that had come before us, to decide that wiping out all of life was the best solution to stopping the Flood.

I clenched my fists at the thought, and to think, I just left Cortana there, and soon after destroying the Halo, I left her again to stew in her trauma until she had died.

I was the worst.

"Sierra-117?"

I looked up at Osman, who gave me a careful look in return. I sighed and forced myself to relax. "Don't think it matters anymore ma'am, Cortana's gone now." I said bluntly, tired of this farce.

_I love you._

They knew she was dead damnit, with the amount of time that passed since her initial activation they could put two and two together.

Osman straightened in her seat. "Her data crystal was missing when we acquired your armor, if you- "

I cut her off by putting my hand in my pocket, I ignored the way she tensed, and pulled out the chip. I placed it in front of her gently, and hesitated, before relinquishing my hold on it

She shot me a look before taking the chip in her fingers and carefully examining the empty data crystal, the dim light signaling the lack of A.I.

I felt a lump in my throat at the thought of it. I swallowed and folded my arms over my chest.

When she was done with her examination, she placed it on the table. "I see, so she self-terminated in response to her rampancy. Shame, there was plenty of information we could have recovered from her before terminating her." She said clinically, her voice dispassionate.

I clenched my jaw and sucked in some air from between my teeth as cold anger entered my veins.

"What's the point of all of this?" I gritted, my frustration with the topic beginning to leak out.

Osman kept her composure firm, uncaring of the rising tension of the room. "Risk assessment." She tapped the data crystal lightly.

"The AI showed little regard for protocol, especially for Forerunner procurement policies enacted by ONI. The fact that she was able to communicate with you thousands of lightyears away points to a massive security risk, as it shows high levels of Forerunner system manipulation that far exceeds our own understanding. Given the fact that she may have been entering the early stages of rampancy, shown by the evidence procured from your armor camera, I hope you can appreciate the fact that we're not taking any chances." She explained coldly.

I looked down, the anger ebbing away from my body, leaving me feeling a tad fatigued. I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling somber. Of course, she was just doing her job, there was no reason to get angry.

Did she have to put it in such a way though?

"Cortana," I began tiredly, "Was loyal to humanity, we couldn't have won without her." It felt like it needed to be said, maybe it didn't, but Osman's words felt like accusations. Cortana didn't deserve that type of treatment, not with all that she did.

The Admiral nodded. "Noted," She said curtly, before picking up the data chip, "Meanwhile we'll be holding on to this, there may be fragments left in it that we can still analyze." A word of protest grew in my throat, but I crushed it relentlessly. She was with ONI, and they had a right to seize assets that may benefit humanity.

Several seconds of silence stretched on, before I disturbed it. "Is there anything else?" I wanted to be anywhere else but here.

Osman raised an eyebrow, before nodding and grabbing her data pad. She began to tap at it. "I imagine you were brought up to speed about your fellow Spartans?"

I nodded gravely. "Yes ma'am."

She looked grateful for that, and slid out a stencil from the side of the data pad, before sliding both across the table my way. It was upside down still, so I rotated it to see what was on the screen.

It was a DD 214, a Discharge from Active Duty form.

Osman spoke up. "We still need to get you caught up to the others, I just need you to sign in the blocks where it asks for your signature and we can get the rest done. Congratulations Chief," I looked at her, only to see a small smile on her face. "You're taking your first steps into retirement."

I stared back at the form, and suddenly the gravity of it seemed to finally hit me.

I was going to retire.

The thought brought my mind to a jarring halt, before a singular emotion began to burn inside of me, stirring the inside of my chest uncomfortably and making me shift in my seat.

Uncertainty.

I glanced at Serin, I guess my emotions had shown in my body language and face, because she looked a bit sympathetic to my plight.

I swallowed, a cold ball of ice forming in my stomach. "Are you sure we're not needed any longer?"

She smiled lightly, and her eyes became a tad warm again. "Yeah John, the brass had made their minds up about it. The others were pretty unsure of it too when they were told, but they adjusted well to it so far."

I began to shake my leg, I tried again. "But the remnants of the Covenant and Insurgents are still out there, we can…" I trailed off as Serin reached over and placed a hand over mine comfortingly. The only reason I didn't flinch and snatch my hand away was because, even if she's ONI now, she was still a Spartan-II, and my family.

The sympathetic look never left her face, and I found myself feeling pathetic the longer it stayed on. "I'm sorry John, but this is the only thing you _can_ do now."

I opened my mouth again, only to work my jaw uselessly as I could no longer find any other words to resist. I looked down at the form glaring back at me.

Numbly, I took the stencil in my hand. I wielded it clumsily, and I couldn't help but wonder when was the last time I even wrote anything? The only things my hands ever required in them were the weapons I needed to wield for the longest of time

Now we have peace, however fragile it was, and it was taking the only purpose in life that I had.

_Don't be a machine._ The words rang in my head, almost mockingly now.

I wasn't a machine, but what use did I have when I didn't have a purpose?

I also realized, looking at the boxes, that I never_ did _make a signature for myself.

My body on autopilot, I quietly, messily, scribbled something resembling my own idea of a signature in the boxes. The end result was a laughable attempt of calligraphy, looking as if a child tried to chicken scratch something on instead.

I wordlessly pushed the data pad back to Serin. I felt my face burn a little when she raised an eyebrow at what must've been my attempt of a signature. She smiled placatingly, "Don't worry John, I've seen worse."

That didn't make me feel much better.

Her smile lessened slightly at my demeanor, before coming back. She gestured with her head. "You're dismissed now. The break room is a floor below us, two doors down the left side of the elevator. I'll send some guests who are eager to see you there in a few minutes to help you out with lodging, why don't you try to relax till then?" She waved the data pad, "We'll deal with the paperwork."

I nodded and stiffly stood up from my chair and saluted one last time. I didn't even wait for her to return it before dropping it and making my way towards the door. I reached out to grab the handle when I noticed it.

I turned my head to the corner of the room.

The large cloaked figure cocked its head at me, the outline humanoid.

I turned back to Serin, who stared back at me with a polite smile, eyes frigid.

I swallowed and opened the door quickly exiting the room, my strides were long as I made my way down the hall.

I felt sick.

* * *

The coffee was scalding hot and bitter, enough that it made my throat prickle irritably and my tongue go raw. I didn't set down the cup until it was drained of all its contents. I stared at the bottom of it.

What a hell of a time to come back, I couldn't help but think wryly. My hands up coming to rub my eyes as I exhaled, leaning back into my chair.

I peeked past my fingers to stare at the ceiling.

So what happens now? I heard that the remaining II's were made into trainers for the Spartan-IV's but was there a process? Some type of test or qualification I needed to get?

I wished I could go back and kick myself for not asking these questions, but I had felt overwhelmed with the talk about Cortana and my retirement at the time.

I sighed and dropped my hands onto my lap, giving the door on the other side of the room an idle glance. Serin had said I had guests, and supposedly they were excited to see me? After seeing the last people who were 'eager' to see me, I felt that I can do without them now.

It was at that moment that the door opened and three people walked in, chatting lowly to one another, they paused when they noticed me in the room. Time seemed to slow.

They stared at me.

I blinked.

Kelly, Fred, and Linda stood in front of me.

I stood up abruptly, with enough force that I sent my chair crashing over, my eyes wide. I saw Kelly's eyes go wide as she inhaled through her nose sharply, her body freezing as she stared at me. Fred stood next to her, mouth slightly agape, before a wide smile took it. Linda, well Linda was as cool headed as ever, just the slight widening of her eyes betraying her surprise.

We were silent for a few long seconds; I shuffled a bit.

I cleared my throat, amusement bubbling in my chest as I took in their states. I felt my lips twitch into a half smile. "So, did ya miss me?" I jeered, a little bit of playfulness bleeding into my voice.

Kelly twitched, before she broke out of her reverie and began to stride over to me. She stopped right in front of me, her eyes never leaving my face the entire time.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion as I watched her tense frame, she scowled.

Before punching me right in the sternum. Hard. Didn't even see it coming.

"GUH!" I gasped as I doubled over slightly, my breathing harsh as I tried to get it under control. It wasn't painful, not at all, but I sure as hell didn't expect it.

"'Did ya miss me?' he says." I heard her say mockingly in slight anger, her accent becoming more pronounced. I grimaced at her tone, already recovering from the sucker punch, and opened my mouth to apologize.

I stiffened when arms circled around my torso, Kelly's head molding firmly onto my chest. A sweet scent filled my nostrils as I inhaled sharply from the unexpected and unfamiliar action, and I had to force myself not to flinch when her arms tightened around me.

"That's all you have to say after all this time? You friggen' _jerk._" Her voice trembled slightly with emotion, and I felt a wave of guilt wash over me as I heard it. Awkwardly, I raised my arms to reciprocate the action, before hesitating, my arms hovering inches over her slimmer body. I settled on dropping one arm and stiffly patting her back with the remaining hand in an attempt to comfort her.

After a few seconds I stopped and simply laid my hand on her upper back, my fingers barely brushing against the material of her jacket. I heard her sniff a little before she extracted herself from me a gave me a once over, and I did the same. I raised an eyebrow, she looked different.

Her hair immediately got my attention, usually tied in a tight ponytail, her brown hair now had blue streaks in them and she now had it longer in the back and loose in the front, causing her bangs to fall on her forehead and brush against her eyebrows. Her face was a bit fuller and her skin seemed healthier, pale, but not the pasty white we were for the longest of time due to our armor. Her blue eyes were rimmed with a little bit of pink, but full of focus like usual, slight crow's feet coming from the corner of them. I looked lower and took in the clothes she wore, they were civilian. She wore a grey t-shirt and black leather jacket assemble that hugged her slender body a bit snugly, followed by a similarly snug pair of jeans with the bottoms tucked into black boots that were laced tightly.

When I got back to her face, I noticed her staring intently at mine, before she let out a small snort. "You look like hell John." She said bluntly, raising a hand to press her knuckle firmly against my forehead. I blinked a little.

"Ah… sorry." I said lamely, before adding dryly after a second. "… You should see the other guy."

Damn it, that was the wrong thing to say, I thought as Kelly scowled at my poor attempt of humor. I tensed as she raised her fist, and she hit me in the chest this time, albeit much softer than the last one. I only grunted lightly when it connected.

"Seriously? Could you knock it off with the jokes?" She said with annoyance before she folded her arms over her chest. I shrugged a little helplessly, couldn't blame me for trying. Her scowl faded and her eyes softened. "It's good to see you again John." She finally said softly.

I gave her a tiny smile, my demeanor softening. "It's good to see you too Rabbit." I quipped genuinely, since the last time I saw her, she had been drugged and kidnapped by Halsey before we had made it back to Earth. I saw her lips quirk up slightly as she narrowed her eyes at me for the jab, before she snorted and looked to the side, stepping away from me. I looked towards Fred and Linda.

They looked amused at our little show, but I couldn't help but notice how _different_ they looked compared to when I saw them before the Battle of Earth.

Again, the hair got my attention first, as Fred now sported a full head of black hair streaked with silver that was swept back, only slightly disturbed by the scar on his hairline. His face still sported several light scars across it, along with slight wrinkles and crow's feet around his blue-green eyes, his lips quirked up into a smirk. His skin, like Kelly's, was still pale but now a tone darker, giving it a healthier glow. He was dressed rather sharply, an open black blazer and a white button up shirt assemble that fitted his frame, the top two buttons undone, along with a pair of pressed black slacks over a pair of dress shoes. A grey duffle bag was slung over his shoulder.

Linda had grown out her hair a little too. Instead of brushing slightly past her jaw, it now brushed against her upper back, her bangs swept to the side so it didn't cover her eyes. Her face was smooth, if a little stern, and out of all of us, she had the least blemishes, her green eyes topped off with faint lines on the bottom of them, skin fair. Her lips were quirked up in a ghost of a smile as her eyes crinkled slightly. She was also dressed professionally. Wearing a black vest with a white blouse underneath, the sleeves rolled up. Her outfit was finished off by a pair of black jeans and a pair of shoes.

I had to pause on how… _civilian _they looked.

Of course, their appearances were well maintained and clean, but it still disturbed me just how _comfortable _they looked while wearing the clothes, as if the lack of armor didn't bother them. While I was relaxed, my body was still prepared to move at a moment's notice, remaining slightly tense. They stood completely relaxed and loose, shoulders slightly drooped, postures hunched over ever so slightly, while Kelly and Linda had a slight flare to their hip as they shifted their weight onto one foot. Their body language was completely different than what I was used to.

Small things, to be sure, but if felt completely _alien_ and _wrong_ to be witnessing with my own two eyes, with my own Spartans being the source of my slight discomfort.

Fred smiled at me as he walked up to me, dropping a hand to my shoulder and squeezing softly, "It's good to see you back with us brother."

The muscles in my shoulder jumped, I ignored it, and nodded. "It's good to be back Fred." I said sincerely.

He gave me one last squeeze, my arm tensed rigidly, and stepped back. I looked at Linda as she gave me a small nod in greetings. "John." She said smoothly, voice warm.

I gave her a nod back, "Linda." I felt a warm feeling in my chest. I was back home.

Back with my family.

Still, I looked around a little, weren't we missing someone?

I glanced at the three and asked. "Where's Will?"

Their smiles vanished and they stiffened, and a tension entered the room. I looked around in confusion, and a small pit formed in my stomach when I noticed their grim faces.

I pursed my lips, resignation filling me as the silence continued. "How?" I asked tiredly, already putting two and two together.

They shared a glance with each other, and it was Fred who spoke up. "We were sent on a mission to rescue Dr. Halsey. The facility was under attack and we got pushed back, and a pair of hunters pinned us down..." His eyes were beginning to grow distant as he trailed off and fell quiet for a moment.

And another.

And another.

Linda reached over and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. "Fred." She said quietly, but I could hear the small amount of worry in her voice. He blinked for a moment, seemingly coming back from his trance, before he coughed and nodded his thanks to her.

I blinked, a grim feeling settling in my stomach. I've seen those reactions before, in other soldiers who mentally began to shut down in the face of mental trauma during the war.

It can't be…

Fred continued; his voice solemn. "He engaged one of the hunters in CQC and killed it." He smiled lightly at the memory, before it vanished. "Its bond brother shot him point blank with its fuel rod cannon before he could get enough distance. He took a few steps towards it, half his body gone, before he went down." He looked down, seemingly struggling with something before he looked up at me, his face weary.

"Kurt was there too John, he died protecting all of us." I felt myself freeze at that.

Kurt-051? How? I thought he had died when his thrusters had malfunctioned and sent him flying into deep space so long ago. Even after sending out several search and rescue teams, he was never found.

But he was _alive_ this entire time?

"How?" I croaked weakly, my mind furiously trying to process just _what the hell _they were telling me.

Fred grimaced, but Kelly interjected before he could speak. "Turns out our old SCPO and him were training a new batch of Spartan's at the time, the III's. The planet they were training them, Onyx, ended up having a Forerunner tech in it. They had triggered some defense system that began to kill everyone on the planet, didn't help that a Covenant fleet showed up soon afterwards." She sighed and rolled her shoulders as she continued her explanation.

"It was where Halsey took us after drugging me. So we were able to regroup with the rest of Blue and Kurt and his Spartans and fight our way through." She smiled wryly. "Gotta give those III's credit, they sure knew how to fight like hell. Still lost many of them though, along with Will."

She paused, before she continued softly. "I almost didn't make it either. A hunter had me dead to rights during the fight, I couldn't get out the way in time."

She closed her eyes. "A Spartan-III, named Holly, pushed me out the way and took the blast head on." She opened them and her posture slumped a little. "There wasn't much of her left after."

Kelly recovered after a moment. "There was a slip space portal to a shielded Forerunner world that we used, while Kurt stayed behind to cover our exit and make sure none of the Covenant followed us. None of them did, and after a while we were picked up by Serin and her team. Halsey was arrested for multiple crimes she committed."

I narrowed my eyes at that. "Serin arrested her?"

She nodded, a small grim smile on her face. "Yeah, turns out lying to Lord Hood to get him to deploy Spartans to Onyx, with the addition of abducting one, are pretty serious crimes."

I had to shake my head at that. When it was put like that, I don't see Halsey earning any favors with anyone higher after pulling stunts like that.

"What happened to her after?" I asked. She may have done several questionable choices, but she was still someone I cared about. Even with the sting of her betrayal still fresh in my mind I was able to look over it. After all she _needs_ to give me an explanation of doing what she did, and I believed that it would help make sense of all this secrecy and lies.

"Dunno," Kelly shrugged. "they might've canned her, or they gave her to another R&D department. Most likely the latter, she was the closest thing to a genius that ONI had." She added as an afterthought, stuffing her hands into her pocket and leaning against one of the tables that was placed in the breakroom.

Spartan-III's, Kurt, Will, Serin. This day was troubling me more than I thought, leaving me with many more questions, and a little shaken by the revelations.

I frowned, before turning around and picking up my overturned chair and placing it on its legs as I leaned some of my weight on it. So much questions to ask, but not enough time to get answers before I was formally separated from the UNSC, revoking my clearances and ability to try.

I exhaled and bit my tongue lightly, a slight throb coming from the base of my neck as I thought.

I glanced up at the lights on the ceiling as I straightened my posture again. The idea of leaving things as it was left a dissatisfied feeling course through my body, but I pushed it down, there was no use crying over things I couldn't change. What's done is done I suppose.

"I see." I deadpanned after a few moments, my final answer to all the information I learned. I turned to my team, or at least what remained of it, not counting the one's who's fate was truly up in the air now that the doubt on who truly survived the surgery was firmly implanted in my mind.

I quirked an eyebrow. "So," I drawled, their attention focusing on me. "How'd you all find out I was still alive? I didn't think they would put out that info out to the public so soon." I changed the topic to something I hoped would be a little less intense and lighter.

"Serin told us. Told us to help you out with the transition." Linda answered softly. Fred perked up at that, unslinging the duffle bag from his shoulder and tossing it to me. I caught it easily by the strap, sending him a questioning look in return.

"Just some civi clothes and some essentials you'll need as you out-process, along with a cell phone with a couple of numbers you'll need in it, ours included." He explained as I unzipped the bag a little and saw pieces of clothing in it. The thought of wearing civilian clothing made me a little anxious, as I'd prefer to keep the under armor I had now, but I doubted I'd honestly get the option.

I rezipped the bag as Kelly spoke up. "Hurry up and get changed Chief, we still got to get you situated."

* * *

I scratched at my shirt, the cloth brushing irritably against my chest yet again, seemingly intent on removing the scab there. Even the triple extra-large clothing was snug against my body damnit. I almost sulked as I sat in the passenger seat of the car, the top of my head brushing against the roof of it. I heard a small snort coming from Kelly, who sat in the driver's seat, barely fitting in it herself. I looked over and immediately caught on to the amused look on her face.

"Stop sulking John." She leered. "It's almost been a week by now. They're just clothes. They're not going to bite you, you big baby."

I grunted, not feeling the same amusement she did. "They itch. I don't get how you guys can wear this stuff on the daily." I muttered. She just chuckled and kept her eyes on the road.

It's been a few days since I got to Earth by now. The following days after my arrival had been autonomous, filled with nothing but briefs and paperwork signing. It was boring, but we had gotten everything done the day prior. Armed with my retirement paperwork, I was no longer Spartan-117 of the Navy Special Warfare Command, now I was simply a civilian.

Serin had also pulled me to the side one of the times, offering me a chance to look at my files prior to my conscription she had acquired of all the Spartan-II conscript's.

To learn everything of my past…

I had rejected the offer of course, having little to no interest in my past. Parisa had been my last chance to reconnect with it back at Palace Hotel, when she had brought out the picture of us as kids, along with the promise I had made her so long ago. I made my choice, and even if I was being forcibly retired, I don't need to know anymore ghosts of a past I can barely remember.

Idly, I pulled out my wallet and pulled out my brand-new laminated ID card, fresh off the printer. My new identity.

It was standard id card with all my basic information, along with my first name and a last name ONI had provided me, with a small stamp on it verifying my status as a veteran. A picture of my face next to it, stern and stoic.

"Nice mug-shot." I heard Kelly snigger to the side. I frowned, I didn't think I looked that bad, did I?

Whatever…

Though, I couldn't help but squint a bit as I looked at the last name given to me, it was a little unusual, and it wouldn't have been my first choice. It wasn't a name I heard of often during my time serving with other soldiers.

I shrugged and slipped it back in my wallet. I didn't care much for the surname, but I was _never_ going to let other's use my first name if they didn't already know it. My name meant more to me than anything, and only people that I trust with my life get the opportunity to use it.

"Nervous?" my thoughts were interrupted as Kelly chimed in curiously. I turned to her to see her glancing at me from the corner of her eye

I thought a little, before shrugging, "A little bit." I admitted, thinking to what was explained to me during one of the briefs.

Unfortunately, I couldn't just go and become a Spartan-IV instructor straight out of retirement. Turns out I had to pass a series of psychological and physical tests within a 6-month probation period. Once I was cleared, I would receive further training on how I would have to conduct myself with the trainees, how I would have to talk to them, the limits and restrictions of what I can do, and other things of that nature.

Of course, I would have to go through the finest facilities to ensure my mental and physical readiness was up to par with their standards. Hence why I'm now headed to a civilian airport to fly to Japan.

Mid Bio Informatics, also known as MBI, had the quality facilities they needed to take care of me, or so they tell me. I did some research, turns out it was founded sometime around 2547 by a man named Minaka Hiroto, and in the past decade, became a powerful conglomerate that even became sponsored by the Japanese government themselves due to the rather advanced medical technologies and sciences MBI had. Turns out that during the Battle of Earth in 2552, they lended out a helping hand to the UNSC by allowing them to access their hospitals and medical equipment to save many lives, both military and civilian.

They're actions had helped them gain massive amounts popularity and support with many politicians within the UEG and those in higher positions in the UNSC, along with the civilian masses themselves. They became so popular it seemed like they were even able to buy the entirety of Tokyo itself, with their headquarters being Teito Tower, with the support of their government. It seems like MBI is one of the more powerful companies on Earth at the present, with them dominating economical, medical, and technological market.

It makes me less enthused from the thought that instead of being poked and prodded by medical professionals, now they had even better tools to do it.

I sighed and tried to make myself comfortable in my rather small seat, I couldn't. "I can't even speak Japanese that well anymore." I muttered in slight annoyance.

Don't get me wrong, there was no expense they considered wasted when training us on Reach. In addition to the high-level education we received during our training, we were also made to learn several languages. While English language was the 'lingua franca' of most of the inner colonies and some of the outer colonies, there was still enough other languages being used to this day that they had made us learn. Japanese, Mandarin-Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Hungarian, and Portuguese, to name a few.

Of course, when the war hit, we found little to no use in using the extra languages we learned, very rarely needing them to translate a few evacuations in areas where they hadn't spoken English when the Covenant had attacked.

Such things were perishable skills, and unfortunately, my fluency with the Japanese language isn't what it used to be.

"John…" I heard Kelly groan in slight exasperation to my unenthused attitude. "It won't be that bad, it only took us about a month to get rid of all the rust we had. You'll be fine."

I scoffed a little, before looking out the window, watching the other cars on the freeway fly by. "…You sure you guys can't come?" I let her know the real reason why I felt so uneasy. We had just reunited after so long, and now we were already being separated. It felt too soon.

"It's only for 16 weeks. After we're done whipping this next class of Spartan-IV's into shape, they said we can help you in your acclimation to the civilian world. Just hold on till then and play nice." Kelly tried to assure me.

It really didn't work, anxiety still coursing through my body. Then again it might have been the clothes I was wearing. Stupid things, always rubbing and chaffing. How I longed to be back in my armor again, to feel safe and secure, my face hidden from the world.

Just another thing to get used to in this new_ life_ of mine I suppose.

"Hm." I grunted in reply, drumming my fingers on my leg. I disliked this, all this sitting around, it made me feel like I was wasting away. I was used to action, and winning the war brought a sense of peace to humanity. It just wasn't meant for _me_.

I heard Kelly sigh, and I glanced at her, only to see her rummaging through her pocket. She pulled out a small black box and handed to me, I took it, feeling puzzled.

"It's from Serin." She explained as I began to open the box. "A 'peace offering' she called it." I peered at the contents and inhaled sharply through my nose.

It was Cortana's chip. The data crystal was missing.

Along with a small note. _Got what I needed, didn't want it. Thought you might. -019_

"Seems she was important to you John." She said quietly. "Serin had broken a few protocols giving that to you." My throat clenched at seeing it, and I swallowed.

_I love you._

Slowly, I traced my finger around the frame, before reaching to my neck and pulling off my dog tags. I slowly unclipped one end and slid the chain through the newly made opening. I reconnected it and secured it around my neck. My dog tags jingled quietly, the newest addition scrapping gently against my chest.

"Thanks." I really was grateful. Kelly just smiled a little sadly as she replied.

"You can tell her that yourself the next time you see her." I had nothing to say to that.

We spent the rest of the ride in silence. I fiddled with my tags as I glanced at Kelly.

To say it was a relief to see her again was a terrible understatement. I had missed her, terribly. She had been my best friend since we were still trainees, and immediately following Sam's death, my number two in every single sortie or operation we found ourselves in. We spent decades together, fighting for our lives. She had always teased me, be it about my looks, my awkwardness, or my overprotectiveness, but I always relied on her to articulate sentiments I often struggled with.

I was glad my absence hadn't changed that part of her.

In a way, we were both separate parts of a bigger whole, one that would never be truly filled without Sam. We always made it work, in the end. Fighting the last months of the war without her watching my back had been hard, but Cortana had more than made up for it. Still, seeing her now, safe and sound, made me feel slightly at peace. I couldn't quite explain it, but I often felt that I would lose something important had I ever lost her, something I would never gain back.

The car stopping pulled me out of my thoughts. "We're here." Kelly announced as she shut off the car and unbuckled herself from her seat, I quickly followed suit. We got out the car and I grabbed my duffle bag and backpack from the car.

"So John…" I looked at Kelly as she began. "Did you have something you wanted to say to me? You were staring pretty hard you know." I felt my cheeks grow a little hot in embarrassment at having been caught. I hadn't staring for that long right? Kelly seemed amused by my reaction, given by the small grin on her face.

I scowled in return, forcing the heat back. I shook my head ruefully. Yeah, she sure hadn't changed a bit since I last saw her.

"It was nothing." I grumbled, but from how the grin never left her face, I doubt she believed that.

"Sure." She drawled, and I grunted, shouldering my bag, before walking down the parking lot. I paused when I was a few meters down, as it dawned on me.

I didn't know where I was going.

I looked back at Kelly, who's grin was wide enough to expose some teeth.

"C'mon you big lug." She cooed jokingly with a small wave. "Before I lose you. Who knows what type of trouble you'll get in if I don't watch you?" She continued to tease me, starting to sound smug. I rolled my eyes at her, and she flashed me one more grin before we began walking to the airport terminal. It was a brisk walk and the people we passed gave us strange looks as they took in our larger figures. We checked in my duffle bag and I received my ticket, and soon I stood in front of the security checkpoint, staring apprehensively.

I didn't want to leave my team behind. Not again.

The last couple of days, while boring, were the most relaxed I've been in a long time. Just being with my fellow Spartans again, chatting with them, playing cards, and just enjoying each other's presence…

I had missed it…

Terribly.

I almost jumped when I felt another hand curl into mine and gave it a small squeeze. I looked down at my hand questionably.

It was Kelly.

I had forgotten how affectionate she could be sometimes, at least when compared to the other Spartans. Always quick to pick up how I really felt about something. Of course, she did these types of things when it was the two of us, with no one else around.

She sent me a small reassuring smile. She then did a short lateral cut with her free hand across her chest. I recognized that signal, after all it was one of the many we had made during our training.

_Stay cool. _

I swallowed my anxiety, and returned her squeeze, giving her a firm nod.

She smiled at me. "Don't do anything stupid while you're out there."

I blinked, before scowling slightly. "…I'm not stupid Kelly."

Her smile began to twitch as she gave me a mockingly innocent look. "Really? You could've fooled me there. It's almost like, when you leave, you take all the stupid with you."

I rolled my eyes at her as she finally gave up trying to hide her smirk. We stood there quietly, just taking in each other's presence for a few moments.

I felt her brush her shoulder against mine, voice soft. "You'll be fine John. You stay safe out there ok?"

She let go of my hand and I quickly made my way through the checkpoint. When I had made it to the other side, I looked back where I had left Kelly.

She was gone.

I pushed the emotion stirring in my chest and squared my shoulders, continuing on my way, following the markers to make it to my gate.

I soon found myself on the plane, buckling myself in as fellow passengers packed away their belongings and took their seats. I looked outside the window as I heard the captain make his pre-flight announcements over the intercom. I glanced to my side when I felt someone take the seat next to me.

Middle aged, black hair that was slightly graying, his attire business casual. He looked up at me with a brief smile, but I could tell the slight skittishness he had at being seated next to me. His body language screamed it. I ignored him, returning my stare out of the window as the flight attendants began their safety brief. That soon concluded as well, and we later found ourselves in the air after taking off.

I watched as everything became smaller, and slowly passed by. I was a tad struck at how… peaceful it all seemed. The ocean soon filled my sights, the surface calm and soothing as I entered a new way of life, away from all of the fighting…

…

So why did I feel as if it wasn't going to be that simple?


	4. Feather 4

** On An Eagles Wings**

**((Authors Note:**

_**Sobs violently in a corner.**_

…**Remember when I said that things were beginning to get hectic at work? I said that with the intent that I would at least update at least one more time before the month ended. Not after a whole month.**

**That shit went from 0 to 100 real quick after the day I posted. Only settled down a few days ago, after which my fingers just flew across the keyboard to make up for lost time.**

**Was going to cut it off at about 7,000 words, especially when I realized just how long this chapter ended up being. Decided to say screw it in the end and keep it all as one. So one big chapter for you patient folks, since it doesn't seem like anyone picked up any pitchforks and torches during my absence.**

**((SPOILERS)) Skip if you don't want any**

**So I'll admit, I'm a bit mixed about this chapter, or at least how it came out. It's alright, but I felt it could've been better.**

**John: Dude is a bit apathetic in this chapter, mostly due to his lack of enthusiasm regarding the whole situation. Especially with what happens in the chapter, he's basically in 'fuck it, I tried, I'll deal with it tomorrow mode'. Lemme know what y'all think of his new surname.**

**Halsey: Part sarcasm, part guilt of the whole SPARTAN-II project coming to her mind. Its just her introduction scene this chapter, so she's not going to go tell John everything he wants to know**

**Yume: I got everything planned out for this chick for the story man, but damn she barely had any time in the Sekirei story, aside from being cryptic as hell in both the story and the manga. So, I tried to make her somewhat like Musubi, albeit a more mature one. Though as the Sekirei of Destiny, she seems to have some empathetic ability to tell a person's true nature, or at least heart, especially when they are Ashikabi's, at least that's what I was able to gleam**

**Girl should've gotten more screen time man.**

**Also, she op as hell, don't forget, even Karasuba, the feared 'Black Sekirei' who can outmaneuver gunfire and is basically a walking genocide, albeit friendly one, says Yume's a hack.**

**Takami: The lady is overworked, and has to work with Halsey, who, according to the Halo lore I've seen so far, not many people get along with. The war has affected her life though, but its only a glimpse for now, more to follow.**

**Next chapter… will involve me looking for more time to make sure it comes in sooner than a month!**

**Just kidding. More odd meetings, more stress for the Chief to endure, along with him trying to figure out his part in everyday life.**

**As always, please read and review)) **

**I don't own anything.**

**Feather 4**

I stared dully outside the window. The ocean, as long and vast as it was, watching it was boring me to all hell now. It had been a bit soothing before, but whatever charm it had was long gone now. Reach had been a rather beautiful planet, far better than what scenery Earth had to offer, most of it being lush and untouched by technology and civilization. Then again, Reach was always special to me so I may be a little biased there, not like it mattered much now after it had been glassed. I glanced at the watch on my wrist to figure out how long we've been in the air by now.

…Barely an hour. The flight still had eight more hours to arrive at Japan.

I stifled a groan at the thought, before shuffling slightly in my seat. The man next to me shuffled back.

I looked to my side, only to see the man sitting uncomfortably against my arm. I had been leaning against the window slightly when we took off the plane, so when I straightened my posture, my broader body had entered his personal space, squishing him slightly against his seat. The man caught my stare and gave me a sheepish smile in return. It was then that I noticed his slanted eyes and his figure, which was a bit small even for a male. He was of Asian descent, perhaps Japanese?

Still, I did feel a little bad for intruding in his space so much, even if I really couldn't help it.

"Sorry." I grunted lowly, before craning my body in a rather futile effort to give him some more space.

The man waved his free hand quickly, looking a bit flustered at my attempt to accommodate him, his voice thick with an accent as he replied in English. "I-It's alright, it didn't really bother me. Really." Even as he said these words politely, I could still see the obvious relief on his face at the tiny extra bit of breathing room.

"Hm." I acknowledged, and said nothing else. It had been moments like this that had made me realize just how _accommodating_ the UNSC had been to my size. Vehicles with enough room in the interior for me to maneuver my body easily, seats that hadn't creaked ominously to my weight every time I sat in them, and showers that didn't force me to hunch my body quite a bit in order to get my head under the stream of water. That was only a few examples, and now I was forced to deal with the civilian standards, all much smaller than what I was used to, often leaving me squished and in very close contact with others.

Like now, even as I moved and hunched my body as much as I could, given the lack of leg room, or just room in general, the man was still forced to slightly bend his body over his arm rest as he sat. Nothing I can really do about that now.

My silence seemed to make the man slightly uncomfortable, as he began to squirm silently in his seat. I sighed slightly and glanced outside the window once more. Nothing but ocean, just like the last time I checked. Great.

I began to drum my fingers on my thigh, and I glanced around the cabin to find something that could keep my mind occupied. It didn't take long before I narrowed in on multiple pamphlets in the back of the seat in front of me. I shifted slightly to free my arm that was trapped against the window, and picked one up, carefully examining it.

It had multiple pages, all detailing what to do in case of an emergency on a plane. Flipping through some pages, at about halfway it changed into the Japanese language translation. I studied the material on the page, some of the kanji ringing bells in my mind but feeling a bit cloudy, slipping just out of my grasp as I tried to remember. As I continued to run my eyes down the page, I had to raise an eyebrow when I saw a miniature, cartoonish version of a Spartan with a round head and body in what looked to be MLOJNIR Mark-VI armor with sign that spelled 'SAFETY' in one of its hands. It's other was holding up a hand sign with its forefinger and middle finger sticking out making a 'V', surrounded by several cartoonish looking flight attendants. I squinted my eyes at the peculiar picture in confusion, before I noticed the white '_117'_ stenciled onto its chest. I stared in slight disbelief.

Was that… supposed to be me?

Huh…

…Did only Japan do this type of stuff? Or did other countries too? It would be a little embarrassing if they did. I hope they didn't mean it as some type of tribute or anything.

I shook my head in a futile effort to forget the image as I closed the pamphlet and placed it on my lap, reaching for another and reading its contents. To my dismay, they also had several cartoonish versions of me, some even had bubbles next to them, saying some of the oddest one-liners. Was it another Japanese thing?

Whatever. I ignored the little figures and continued my reading.

'_Hotels for the holidays.'_ Just a bunch of hotels to rent. Hm. What was a love hotel? Sounds high end.

'_Sights to See in Japan.'_ Mount Fuji and Kinkaku-ji huh? Might ask the team on what they enjoyed seeing during their stay.

'_The Shaw-Fujikawa Science Museum.'_ Wasn't too big on science, but it seemed interesting at least, might take a look when I can.

"Ano… Have you been to Japan before?" I blinked as my musings were interrupted. I gave the skittish man next to me a puzzled look as he peered curiously at me, before glancing at the pamphlet in my hand. I was still in the Japanese language section, as I had been trying to decipher what kanji I could make out from my old lessons.

I shook my head in response to his question, which made his already sheepish demeanor even worse. His eyes darted back and forth from me to the small stack of pamphlets on my lap. "Oh- well- I-I just thought that since you were reading the kanji, that…" he trailed off nervously, looking away for a second as he tried to calm himself down, wringing his hands by his lap.

This continued for several seconds, before I sighed and decided to give the guy a break, as he looked seconds away from entering a nervous breakdown. I was used to the fearful looks, and the intimidated gazes during my time in the military, still bothered me a bit when civilians did it though. Reminds me that while many looked up to us Spartans, we can never be like them, because if it wasn't our deeds that made them wary of us, it was how we were made physically. Made us different from them in their eyes, unnatural, strange.

"It's fine. I was just…" I trailed off, looking for the right words. "I leaned Japanese before… it's just been a while since I last used it. Tried to see if I could remember some of it." I was about to shrug, but refrained when I remembered the lack of distance between myself and the man next to me.

"O-oh… so how's that going?" He asked curiously. I felt my lips twist a little, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good neither.

"It… really has been a while." I settled on saying. He nodded sagely, a slight sympathetic look on his face, before it brightened up slightly.

He sat a little straighter in his seat as he looked up at me. "Oh? I'm a Japanese language teacher back in a school in Sydney that I work for. I can help you out with what you don't know…" he trailed off yet again in his offer, a hand coming up to rub his neck awkwardly. "Th-That is, if you want help." He finished shyly.

Well… that's quite convenient…

Lucky me.

Still, I almost rolled my eyes at his demeanor, and here I thought _I _was supposed to be the awkward one. I opened my mouth to reject his help before I closed it, quietly pondering his offer in my mind. On one hand I could reject it and get to Japan quite ignorant of the language when I arrived, and look like a possible idiot _when_ someone would talk to me in Japanese. Or attempt to relearn _some_ of the language, even if it wasn't much, and perhaps even gain knowledge on some customs they may have, he _did_ look like a Japanese native after all.

…Or it could end with all of it being a waste of time, and we would be left awkwardly ignoring each other for the duration of the flight. I glanced at my watch again.

It was now an hour and ten minutes since lifting off…

I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose quietly. I was never quite good with doubts, and I didn't have much to lose…

…Why not?

I opened my eyes and looked at the man, who was beginning to look like he was beginning to regret giving the offer. His eyes connected with mine. "Sure," I droned. "Thanks." I hoped I was able to convey how _genuinely _thankful I was for his help. Didn't want to seem rude or anything.

He perked up again; geez, it wasn't that big of a deal, and nodded happily. "Of course, of course! I don't mind helping at all. Now," he shuffled a bit closer to my side to get a look of the pamphlet in my hand. I had to resist the urge to palm him square in the forehead to get him to back off, and gave it a curious look. "What are the kanji you're having difficulty with…" he trailed off slightly, before he looked slightly embarrassed.

"Ah. Forgive me, I'm Yamada Taro." He introduced himself. I cocked my head to the side curiously.

I nodded to myself slightly, sounds easy enough. I looked down at Yamada, only to see him giving me an expectant look. What did he…?

Oh, right. I still had to introduce myself. How did you say that name again?

I pulled out my wallet and examined my ID card, ignoring the puzzled look Yamada shot me, and pursed my lips at my 'last name.'

"Stark." I introduced myself, the name rolling off my tongue strangely. John Stark. It was a simple name. Short and rolled off the tongue easily. A name that didn't sound too unique, but to introduce myself with it, it felt odd.

After putting my wallet back in my pocket, I blinked when I noticed him still giving me a small expectant look. I stared back stonily, was he expecting me to give him my first name or something?

"…"

"…"

Yamada seemed to sense that was all he was getting from me and coughed awkwardly into his fist, looking a tad put out. "Alright then Stark-san, let's see where you're having a difficult time on." His voice became more professional, his skittishness seemingly forgotten as he leaned in once more.

I staved off a grimace at the close proximity, but sucked up my discomfort, instead pointing at the beginning of the text on the pamphlet currently in my hand. I hope I didn't regret this later on. "This part here. I'm a little confused as I thought the kanji for this meant…"

* * *

…I continued to focus on my breathing, allowing it to flow softly and naturally. I counted each exhalation from one to ten, returning to one when I reached ten or when my mind began to wander and lost focus. I kept my body still and relaxed, back straight, my eyes closed as I emptied my mind from everything but my breathing. Every breath came from the diaphragm, allowing it to expand my belly with each deep inhalation I took, following the rhythm of each with concentrated attention.

I wasn't sure how long I've been doing this now, it could've been minutes, it could've been hours, but my sense of time was distorted now.

_Inhale_…

_Exhale_…

Four.

_Inhale…_

_Exhale…_

Five.

_Inha-_

My eyes opened as the we finally landed, the plane rocking slightly and the engines roaring as we began to slow down. I looked at Yamada, who blearily lifted his head from my arm as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, mumbling under his breath as he did. My free arm now unoccupied, I used it to open the window panel, glancing outside it to take in the sunrise and large buildings of Shin Tokyo in the distance as we got closer to the spaceport gate.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Haneda Intercolonial Spaceport. Local time is six fifty-three in the morning, and the temperature is a chilly thirty-eight degrees. For your safety and comfort…" _I zoned out from the rest of the announcement, instead pulling out my cellphone from my pocket, the tiny thing almost engulfed in my palm, and took it off Flight mode. It only took a few seconds of waiting before my phone began to receive signal, and my phone buzzed a few times as I looked at the notifications only to see I received two messages under a group chat named 'Blue', as Kelly had named it.

I unlocked my phone and saw the messages had been from Fred and Linda late last night, telling me to stay safe and to let them know when I made it to Japan. I clumsily texted back, my larger fingers having slight difficulty hitting the touchpad screen, letting them know of my safe arrival. I sent the message and pocketed my phone, giving Yamada a small glance as he let out a low yawn.

He had been useful, helping me with the kanji that had been on the pamphlets, even giving me several sources to look on Waypoint to help advance my literacy in the language. He also helped me with my fluency in the language a bit, and now I was able to speak several basic phrases that I learned long ago with the ever so slight accent in my speech. Slowly, with his help, I was able to chip off some of the rust I had accumulated after so long. Though I wasn't going to be back to my level of proficiency I had originally been any time soon, I now had materials and a better idea where to start.

He even told me some things about himself too, how he had gotten the job as a teacher in Sydney, how he was only coming back to Japan for the holidays with his family, and about his wife and kids. It was a little bit afterwards that he had fallen asleep from all the mental fatigue, unconsciously using my shoulder as a headrest due to our proximity. I was able to ignore it, after all it had been a little interesting, to listen to how a normal man enjoys the mundane things in life. Compared to my high stress and eventful life, his almost seemed bland in comparison. I really was glad to have lived the life I had, regardless of how people would view my background, I was part of something that gave me meaning in my life.

To each his own I suppose.

As everyone began to collect their possessions and leave the docked plane, I patiently waited as most of the passengers shuffled out.

"Stark-san." I blinked and looked up, only to see Yamada smiling warmly at me, bag in hand, any traces of the previous nervousness he may have had about me long gone. "It was a pleasure. Goodluck out there. Stay safe. And keep practicing, you're a pretty fast learner if I can say so myself. Goodbye." He finished in Japanese, using the formal 'ja ne' phrase as he gave me a small wave.

I nodded slightly. "Thanks." I replied. "… you stay safe too. Goodbye." I finished softly, using the same phrase. He just gave me one last smile before going on his way, most likely to meet with his family.

I stood from my seat and grabbed my bag, opening it only to retrieve a nondescript baseball cap Kelly had given me and placed it on my head, the visor low. I threw my bag over my shoulder and stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets as I shuffled out of the plane, giving a small nod to the flight attendant as she bid me farewell and safe travels. I kept my gaze low as I made my way out of the gate and towards the baggage claim, only looking up to look at the indicators to make sure I was still going the correct way.

I frowned as I fell into a rather long line by the immigration counter, where people were going through some type of machine after handing over their paperwork. I couldn't see what they did specifically, but it wasn't long before the workers waved them through. Though a few times people were escorted away by several apologetic looking staff and security, though some didn't leave before loudly complaining and letting their distaste for the situation be known, yelling several inappropriate words to them. I heard several people around grumble at their act, as it only made the process a little longer. A small glance confirmed that the ones taken away didn't look like natives. Foreigners from other countries maybe.

I merely pulled out my visa and passport as I waited in line, distantly listening to the commotion about the situation around me with detached indifference, staring blankly at my surroundings. My body moved automatically with the crowd, and stopped when they stopped.

Idly, I noticed, that even though it was early in the morning, and most of the other passengers were still jet lagged; that still didn't stop a few from staring at me, some children even pointing at me before their embarrassed parents made them stop.

One, what looked to be a young Japanese female in her late teens, even pulled out her phone, pointing it directly at me. It took me a second to realize what she was doing, and when it hit me, I couldn't stop the grimace twisting my lips slightly. Ugh, she was pointing a _camera_ at me. When she noticed my glare, she flushed fiercely at being caught, quickly placing her phone in her pocket before shuffling away. I pulled the visor of my cap a little lower, before returning to my original position, resuming my dispassionate stare of my surroundings.

It wasn't long before I found myself at the desk, the clerk behind it giving me a well-practiced smile as he asked me for my documents. I handed them over without a word, and he examined them quickly, his actions well practiced and mechanical. He glazed through most of my paperwork, handing them back to me with small smile.

"Thank you, sir. Now can you please breath into this machine?" He waved to the contraption at his side.

I leaned over and gave the machine a quick puff of air, and the clerk quickly wiped it down with a cloth after I was done, gesturing to the pad next to it. "Can you put your right index finger on the pad sir?"

I pressed my right thumb on the machine, followed by my right index finger, along with the digits on my left hand afterward. The clerk sat there, looking at the screen in front of him as he retrieved his results, tapping away at the keyboard. After a few minutes I saw his eyebrows furrow, before an exasperated look appeared on his face. He sighed and gestured, and two nervous looking men in security uniforms came up to me, weary looks on their faces as they looked up at me, their necks craning to take in my larger stature. The clerk gave me an apologetic look, bowing slightly.

"Please excuse me Stark-san. This analyzer is experiencing technical difficulties. Still, according to the spaceport policy, we're going to have to take you to the side as our tech support finds out what exactly went wrong sir. If you would please follow these two gentlemen?" he gave me a small pleading look, most likely wanting me to not cause trouble.

I gave him a curt nod. "I understand." I ignored the relieved look on his face, and with documents still in hand, I followed the men through an inconspicuous door, ducking my head as I entered the doorway. It led into a long hallway, rows of doors leading to other rooms on either side. I was led to one a little further down the hall, before one of the men opened one of the doors, seemingly at random, and ushered me inside. I entered the room, noting the table in the middle with chairs on either side, and the miniature refrigerator in the corner, a small table with a stack of snacks next to it.

The guard bowed at me. "Please wait here while we get together with a representative to find out what went wrong. Please help yourself to any refreshments as you wait." I nodded wordlessly and walked in, the door closing behind me. Dropping off my bag near the table, I went to the fridge and opened it, looking at the stack of cans, juice boxes, and water bottles. I grabbed a bottle of water and made my way to the table, taking in the assorted cookies, crackers, and biscuits, grabbing a small pack of crackers and taking my seat.

I sat silently for a few minutes, chewing on the slightly stale crackers, before I reached into my bag and took out a book that Linda had given me, _Winning With People._

It was about forty-five minutes later, with me on my second bottle and third pack of crackers, about two-fifths done with the book, when the door opened. I looked up as a haggard looking man entered the room, small bags under his eyes.

He bowed hastily, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Good morning sir. On behalf of Haneda Intercolonial Spaceport, we would like to apologize for this delay in your trip sir. My name is Fujimura Taiji. If you could please cooperate with us on finding out what exactly had happened sir, we can quickly send you on your way."

He sounded tired as he spoke, a slight mechanical tone in his voice. He probably had to reiterate it several times by now, with the others that had to be taken aside. Judging by his rough appearance, it didn't seem as if they all took it well.

I gave a nod. "Yeah. Do you what you need to." I grunted. The sooner I could get out of here the better. I hadn't exactly slept during the entire trip, finding myself unable to in the cramped area, and now I couldn't help but look forward to a comfortable bed to lay on.

Fujimura smiled in relief, bowing to me once more. The Japanese seem to do that a lot, bowing to others. "Thank you for your cooperation sir, please wait here as we bring in another analyzer to see what went wrong." He left the room, only to come back in a few moments later, with another man in tow, one of the machines in his arms.

The man set it on the table and began working on it, setting up cables and wires as Fujimura took the seat across from me, a tablet at hand. I used the time they had to set up the analyzer to clear my area, throwing the unfinished water and crackers away into a nearby trash can and stuffing the book into my bag.

I waited patiently as several minutes passed, before the man finished setting up the machine and promptly took his leave, leaving me and Fujimura. I looked at him as he continued tapping away at his data pad for a few more seconds, before setting it on the table and looking back at me.

He gestured towards the machine. "If you would please." I nodded and leaned in, puffing out another breath into it before settling back. Fujimura tapped a few times on the pad. "Pad please, right thumb first." I followed along, pressing my thumb firmly on the pad for several seconds. I continued doing as he instructed until we were done, with him looking at the pad inquisitively as we waited for the possible results. I saw the screen flash red. "Ah, here we go. Give me a second as I check out the error." He flashed me a brief smile, before picking up the pad and begin tapping away at the screen.

"… Wait a second…" I saw his eyebrows furrow a bit as he worked. "…No. No no no. That can't be right." He whispered to himself as he began to frown, still tapping away at his device. After a few seconds longer his eyes flickered up towards me, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

Well, that didn't look good. I frowned in return. "Is something wrong?"

He opened his mouth, before closing it with an audible click, as he looked back at the data pad and squinted at the screen, as if to confirm he was really seeing what was on it with his own eyes. He looked at me once more, an unsure look on his face, looking at me as if seeing me for the first time. "Well, I've never seen an error like this…" He paused to look at the screen again, before returning to me. "May I see your papers please?"

I handed them over, beginning to feel weary when he continued to look confused with what he had on hand. Fujimura ran a hand through his hair, looking a little tense, before he stood up from his seat. He sent me a brief smile that was a little strained. "Please pardon me Stark-san. This seems to be a bigger problem than I thought. I'll have to report this error to my supervisor immediately." He handed my papers back to me. "I apologize in advance for any further delays that may occur during your stay. Please rest assured that Japan Spacelines will be willing to compensate you for any inconvenience this situation may have caused you."

I felt a little confused, but nodded. He bowed once more, and the smile he sent me was anything but genuine. I looked to the corner of the room where the door was, where a camera hung from the ceiling as Fujimura took his leave, protected by a small ball of tinted glass around it.

The red light turned on when he closed the door.

* * *

It had been about 20 minutes into waiting when I decided to get some shut eye, my body hunching over slightly as I napped. The lack of sleep from both last night and during the flight had worn me down slightly, and made it easier.

I had woken up when the moment the door opened, quickly sliding my feet of the table and sitting up straight, my eyes instantly focusing on the woman, no… the_ creature_ as it walked in the room. It was female, or at least looked like a female, with brown eyes and long brown hair, a strand of it coming from the top. It was rather… voluptuous; I couldn't help but notice with a bit of discomfort and confusion. It wore a black leather top, a pair of red gloves typically used for hand to hand fighting, a black skirt that looked to be a bit too small, and black stockings. A grey coat hung from her shoulders, like a cape, that billowed slightly behind her as she moved, posting herself by the door as another woman walked in behind her. I could feel a few hairs on my neck bristle as I stared at the… the…

S̮͇͈̦̅̾͋́͘̕͜͜é̴̙̻̰̦̲̐̄̾̏k̷̛̲͔͓͕̋͑̃́̏̾̍͘͢ǐ̫͚̝̩͚̩͙͖͓̄̈͂͆͢r̵̡̨̛̯̫͖͍̪̫͑͂̌̓̀̏̅̃ȩ̶̛͕̳̙̜͙̮̯̪̽͆̀́̊̅́͂͢ị̹̺̲̭͎̫̘͑̃͛͛͞͠͝. My brain struggled to tell me, but it felt distorted in my head, like I knew but at the same time I didn't. A block. It tugged on my mind incessantly. If there was one thing I knew for sure; it was that it was _not_ human. I idly noticed that this odd feeling was a tad familiar, I just couldn't place the last time I felt like this.

I swallowed thickly as it smiled gently at me, its brown eyes boring into mine.

_What was it?_

"Ahem." At the loud clearing of the throat, I reluctantly tore my gaze from the being, instead focusing it on the rather irate woman sitting in front of me, a scowl on her face.

Unlike the _thing_ behind her, S̮͇͈̦̅̾͋́͘̕͜͜é̴̙̻̰̦̲̐̄̾̏k̷̛̲͔͓͕̋͑̃́̏̾̍͘͢ǐ̫͚̝̩͚̩͙͖͓̄̈͂͆͢r̵̡̨̛̯̫͖͍̪̫͑͂̌̓̀̏̅̃ȩ̶̛͕̳̙̜͙̮̯̪̽͆̀́̊̅́͂͢ị̹̺̲̭͎̫̘͑̃͛͛͞͠͝ my mind whispered irritably, she was definitely human. Slender, with grey hair and grey eyes, wearing a white button-up with black slacks, a white lab coat finishing her outfit. A data pad was in her hands. I noticed that she seemed rather at ease with the thing behind her, and it made me wonder if she knew what the heck it _was_.

"Ma'am." My voice remained as bland as ever, even when my eyes flickered towards the thing. It kept that gentle look on its face. I brought my eyes back to the woman, who still looked displeased with me, as if I had done something horribly wrong. "Are you here to help with the error?"

She glared at me. "Still going to play dumb, are you?"

I paused, confused. "Pardon?"

She just continued to scowl at me, before looking down at her pad and tapping at it. "Fine, if that's how you want to play it. Then explain to me this:" She looked back at me. "Why is it that our databases aren't pulling up any form of identity with the genetic samples you gave?" She gestured at the device in her hand. "Which shouldn't be possible, as MBI keeps track of the genetic information of every single remaining human in the colonies and UNSC after the war. So why is it that you don't have any sort of DNA print in our systems?" She gave me a dark look.

I exhaled slowly, keeping my demeanor placid. Well, this was a pretty difficult situation to explain myself in, but I was left more confused than anxious. Had someone made a mistake when they had made my new identity? No. ONI wasn't the type to make mistakes. They had taken fingerprints and the like when we made my new identity, but they didn't take anything like blood and such. Was that their oversight?

Then again, my Spartan's had been given the last name of their former lives, as any possible relative they may have had was confirmed to have been killed, while I had to change mine due to a change in protocol by then. They had deemed it safer to create a whole new identity when it came to me, as there had been plans to announce my survival to the populous as a morale booster for humanity.

Still, it didn't change the fact that the woman, and whomever she worked for, was edging into extremely dangerous territory with their findings.

So, while I had an idea on the why, I had no clue on the how. "I'm afraid have no idea what you're talking about ma'am." I said honestly, my voice deadpan.

She snorted in response; her eyes lidded and full of doubt. "Uh-huh," she drawled as she placed her device on the table. I glanced at the being behind her, as she finally took her eyes from me to look at the woman curiously. "I don't know who you are, for all I know you can be a company spy, or an Insurrectionist. But we'll figure out how you did this. Yume." She snapped, and the thing behind her, Yume, blinked, before its eyebrows furrowed, placing a finger onto its lips.

"Takami-san. Wouldn't it be better to use Karasuba for this type of job?" It asked lightly, completely unconcerned about interrogating me, but on _who_ did the job instead.

The white-haired lady, Takami, sighed irritably, bringing a hand to her forehead at the creature's hesitation. "Trust me Yume, having her here instead would make things so much smoother. Unfortunately for us both, with your decision, she has made her own as well." She looked away with a grimace. "Doesn't help that she keeps hanging around that smartass too. She's gotten to her head damnit." She grumbled.

Yume frowned a bit. "I see." she nodded, before her gaze turned to me instead. She gave me a small smile. "Ah yes, please cooperate with Takami. I wouldn't want to hurt you Stranger-san."

And with that, she _moved._

I had saw her move, or my mind acknowledged her movement, trying to move my body in accordance with my brain's impulses. I was fast, faster than most humans would be able to track. At the same time, I had gotten extremely used to moving in my armor. I had forgotten that without my armor, I was slow, painfully so when compared to the instant twitch reactions of MJOLNIR due to its neural connection between it and my brain. So, while my mind was able to react, my body suffered a delay in which it responded.

That was all the time Yume needed to get me in her clutches.

I had tried to stand up, my body tense in preparation to defend myself, the hammer in my brain cocked back and ready to enter battle mode. I had felt everything just beginning to slow down, only coming up a few inches off the chair before an iron grip clasped around my right shoulder as she appeared next to me in an instant. It shoved me back down easily with surprising force. The chair groaned loudly to the abuse, and for a second I felt as if it would break from the combined weight and force. Thankfully, it held strong. I looked up, more than a little stunned, at the smaller figure that held my shoulder, her deceptively lithe figure hiding the strength of a goddamned Brute Chieftain and the speed of an Elite Zealot.

I held back the urge to curse as I fidgeted in her grasp. Ok then. I _may _have underestimated her a bit, then again, I wasn't expecting something as petite as her to move like this.

…This would've been a different story if I had my armor, that I had no doubt of.

If only I had it damnit…

"Ah. Please stop moving Stranger-san." Yume chittered gently, and I grunted as she gave my shoulder a particularly _hard _squeeze that made something underneath creak ominously. I stopped moving immediately, quickly figuring that pissing her off won't help my situation at all, and I wasn't an idiot. Crazy, others had said, but never an idiot.

… Well… except Kelly… maybe Linda… Fred might've insinuated several times…

I held back a grimace when I glanced at her face, her easy smile putting me off slightly.

When I turned back to Takami, I couldn't quite help my grimace anymore, her entirely too smug smile beginning to wear on my nerves.

I glanced at Yume from the corner of my eye as she moved behind me and out of my sight. I let out a sigh as another hand clasped around my left shoulder firmly. I felt her shudder slightly.

"Is this all really necessary? This whole thing is one big mistake." I gritted out, beginning to get frustrated over the misunderstanding. It wasn't like I could tell them the truth, as it would spell death or worse for both and whoever they were affiliated with.

"You're still going to defend yourself? After pulling that little stunt?" Takami sounded amused with my supposed audacity, a hint of disbelief entering her voice.

"…" I remained silent, my brain quickly thinking of several ways to get out of this situation, as it continued to deteriorate before me. With the creature holding me firmly though, and my lack of armaments, it began to narrow down my choices. I came to only one conclusion that guaranteed any possible altercation between Yume and me ending in my favor.

I needed to play this out, see what happens. Try to contact federal authorities in ONI to get this whole fiasco cleared up when I get the chance. A quick solution that hopefully wouldn't incite any violence between us that was sure to get out of hand.

Of course, if things ended up escalating, I would have to rely on several drastic measures to guarantee that I won the affair. Civilians would undoubtingly get caught in between the crossfire though, so it was probably best to leave that as a last resort.

Not the best plan… but it was the best I could think of right now. Taking into account on my lack of any knowledge of the creature holding me with her hands dangerously close to my neck and head.

Across from me, Takami gave me a cold smile at my silence. "I thought so..." She drawled, tapping away at her device. "Name?"

"Stark." She glared at me. "John Stark." I amended. Now wasn't a time to seem smart with the woman with some type of freakishly strong and quick, I ignored the irony there, creature at her beck and call. So I got over myself and gave her my first name.

"Reason for coming to Japan. Are you seeking a permanent residence?"

I shook my head. "Negative. I'm here temporarily for several physical and psychological evaluations for future employment in the private sector."

She looked suspicious. "How long? And private sector? For what exactly?"

"Six months. For the UNSC. As a contractor."

"Oh? The UNSC doesn't hire individual contractors unless they're affiliated with another corporation. Do you have an affiliation with any of them?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm currently unemployed for the moment. I just retired from active duty a few days ago." Well, yesterday to be more exact, but there was no need to tell them that.

She snorted. "So, what then, for them to go out their way to get you with a job like that. What were you? Some type of big shot?"

I felt Yume's grip on my shoulders loosen slightly, probably due to how much I was cooperating, just a little more and I could make my move. I shook my head again in response to the assumption. "Not really." I hadn't done much, just my duty during my service.

After scrutinizing me for a few seconds, Takami looked back at her data pad and resumed tapping at it. "What was the medical corporation you were headed to for these examinations? Hiyamakai Enterprises?" Her tone turned hard at that specific mention.

I decided to test how much leeway I was given. I leaned over slightly, placing my elbows against the table. I felt Yume's hands follow my shoulders without tightening, along with two large and warm orbs pressing against my back.

I heard Yume hum slightly. "You're a pretty large person John-san!" I saw Takami glance up slightly at that, before dismissing it. I had to give it to her, she was probably one of the few people I met that wasn't immediately put off with my appearance. Then again, she probably felt quite safe with the creature holding me back.

Although... I glanced back over my shoulder at Yume, who peeked up at me curiously from her position on my back. "Don't call me that." I said flatly, and she blinked at my tone. I looked back at Takami, who stared back at me with a raised eyebrow.

I addressed her previous question. "I was to receive my examinations with M.B.I." I saw her other eyebrow join its counterpart. She stared at me disbelievingly for a few seconds, before she recomposed herself, pursing her lips.

She leaned back into her chair; arms folded over her chest. "We only provide those services to those affiliated to a rather close partner to us." She gave me a guarded look. "Are you with them?"

I frowned, having an idea what she was insinuating, but I wasn't completely sure that was what she meant. "I-,"

I was interrupted when a rather shrill tune began to sound. I brought a hand to my pocket, and noticed the lack of vibrations, it wasn't me then. Takami pulled hers out, and stared at the name on the screen. "Shit..." She swore, a harsh scowl growing on her face.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she accepted the call. "This is Sahashi. What is it Catherine?"

"…" I could make out someone speaking on the other end, but nothing specific.

"Yes, I'm responding to the situation at the spaceport."

"…"

"What? What do you mean let him go?!" Sahashi grew flustered as she became indignant. She glanced at me, beginning to rapidly drum her fingers on the table.

"…"

"That's against company safety regulations Catherine I-,"

"…"

"But-!" she tried again, only to get cut off once more.

"…"

I felt Yume peeked over my shoulder, molding the rest of her body onto my back as she did. Did this thing not understand the idea of 'personal space'? Geez. "Takami-san?" she questioned, as woman's distress grew.

Sahashi raised a hand, her flushed face getting redder as her anger rose. I guess whoever was on the other end really knew how to push her buttons.

I felt myself beginning to relax as she lost control of the situation, the strange feeling in my gut fading away.

"…"

Sahashi grimaced, bringing a hand to her forehead as she exhaled, nodding tiredly. "Yes, yes. I understand Doctor. We'll bring him immediately." She dragged the hand down her face. It seemed the woman wasn't used to losing her composure. She took the phone from her ear, and stared at me, a defeated look on her face. I couldn't help but feel a little suspicious, a few words sticking out to me. Catherine? Doctor?

"Yume." I felt the creatures head perk from her position on my shoulder. "Let him go. Turns out this was all a…" She looked for the correct words. "_grave_ misunderstanding. He checks out."

"Of course, Takami-san." I felt Yume extract herself from me, the last vestiges of tenseness leaving me. Along with her warmth…

I paused at the odd thought… weird.

I rolled my shoulders to reaffirm my newfound freedom and relieve the small stiffness that accumulated in them. I gave Takami a look. "So, am I free to go?"

* * *

I took a glance at my watch as more cars passed by; it was a little past thirteen hundred, hopefully the day wouldn't have any more delays.

Speaking of delays…

I watched the woman across from me blew a cloud of smoke, the scent of burning tobacco filling the back of the car. Takami placed the cigarette back on her lips, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she inhaled from the stick.

"Takami-san," Yume, who sat a bit too closely to me, began reproachfully, a fist under her chin as she frowned. "You shouldn't smoke those while inside the car. It's not healthy." She began to pout a little when she was ignored, puffing out one of her cheeks. The white-haired woman was unfazed, blowing out another cloud of smoke. I felt myself grimace when I inhaled a good bit of it this time, and clenched my jaw as the urge to cough grew in the back of my throat. I cleared it, and it got her attention, as she gave me a dull look, cigarette hanging loosely from her lips.

"Is that really necessary?" I asked firmly, agreeing with the creature. She just snorted, as if I had said something funny.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. I've been waiting to smoke since that woman called me. You don't understand how much of a pain in the ass it is dealing with her. Always bitching when she doesn't get her way, always manipulating others to get what she wants. It's ridiculous." She took another drag, this time finishing the last half of the stick and flicking it out the window. "What's even worse, is how easily she does it too." She snorted. "Idiots, I'm surrounded by them."

I raised an eyebrow when she pulled another one out from her pack, placing it on her lips and igniting it. "That's your fifth one in the last twenty minutes." I observed, a little disturbed on how much toxin she must've been willingly putting in her body.

She smiled sardonically, flicking the stick. "Like I said. Pain. In. My. Ass." She blew right at me.

I waved my hand in front of my face to get rid of the freshly exhaled smoke, staring in annoyance at the woman as she smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes and readjusted my bag that sat on my lap, my duffle sat next my feet after we were able to recover it from the spaceport officials. I was glad to find out that aside from picking it up, they hadn't deigned it necessary to check my bag of its contents, even with the suspicions I had raised.

Speaking of suspicions…

I shot a sidelong look at Yume as she examined me closely, or rather my hands that rested on top of my bag. Her large brown eyes were intense as they studied the scars that littered them, most of them surgical in nature. Ever since letting me go in the room, her gaze barely left my figure, as well as constantly getting close to me, almost constantly in arms-length.

Oddly, I began to feel a little self-conscious and adjusted them just out of her view. Yume looked at me instead, and her face held a trace of sympathy. I bit the inside of my cheek at the look, not quite sure what to make of it. Scorn, contempt, fear, and awe had been the usual expressions I received, and had become accustomed to. Sympathy… I just didn't know what to do when someone gave me a look like that… what they meant with it was something I just couldn't understand…

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Can I help you?" I muttered a bit defensively, a little bothered on how easily the female made me feel slightly unbalanced every time she got close to me or examined me. She didn't take my slight aggression to heart though and instead brought a hand to her chest.

"Did they hurt?" She asked quietly. I frowned, a little uncomfortable about answering the question. Still, I felt a small, odd compulsion to tell her the truth, my mind straying back to when I first woke up after the surgeries. How my bones and muscles ached, how my eyes had bled, and how hard it was to adjust to my new and improved body.

I flexed my hands slightly. "…A bit yeah." I muttered, looking away uncomfortably when she just smiled sadly at me, a strange feeling crawling in my chest. It felt wrong, to see that type of expression on her face, but for the life of me I just couldn't tell why.

"You were a soldier during the Covenant war weren't you." Sahashi stated factually, as she herself began to reexamine my appearance a little closely, cigarette hanging from her lips.

I shrugged. "For most of it yes."

She leaned back in her seat after a few seconds, crossing her legs in front of her. "You one of those Spartan-IV Stark?" She must've have reached that conclusion as she regarded my size.

"…Something like that, yeah." I answered vaguely, and her eyes narrowed slightly at my deflection.

Sahashi exhaled. "Hm…" She stared at me with flat eyes as she flicked her cigarette. "…Guess they must've messed up on your augmentations pretty badly then Stark, since it looked like someone decided to play tic-tac-toe with your body if the rest is anything like that. That, or you had a hell of a time during the war." I pursed my lips at the small dig at my scars, hiding my hands from her as well. She didn't, _couldn't and wouldn't,_ know, and that was for the better. Let her make her assumptions.

"Takami-san," I quirked an eyebrow at Yume as she spoke up, it seemed like she wasn't as fine with the woman's veiled insult like I was. "There's no reason to be so rude. The war wasn't easy on many people, and John-san must've been a strong person to endure what he did. Not many people walked away from it unscathed." Her voice was serious, losing that gentleness she often had when she spoke.

Sahashi's face darkened a bit. "Trust me Yume. I know the cost of the war just as much as any other person." Her voice was bitter with a hint of resentment. Hm, seemed like there was some history there. She must've lost someone close to her during the war was what I could guess.

I gave a quick glance at the creature sitting next to me, a little confused on her rather vehement defense of me. She glanced back at me and I averted my eyes away quickly, strangely feeling a tad embarrassed at being caught.

"I already told you," I blurted, feeling the need to cover my actions. "Don't call me that."

She blinked, before she placed a fist in an open palm as she remembered. "Ah," She smiled apologetically at me. "I forgot Stark-san." She amended.

The car stopped and the driver turned in his seat. "We're here Dr. Sahashi." He announced.

Sahashi nodded, flicking her nearly finished cigarette out the window and dragging her hand through her hair, looking less than excited. "Let's get this over with then." She muttered, before looking at me. "Let's go Stark." I nodded and followed her out the car, my duffle in hand and my backpack slung over my shoulders.

I paused as I looked at the building we were about to enter. It was big, probably 50 or so stories tall, lights flashing around it. The illumination brought out the modern design many other buildings around it shared, but oddly enough, I noticed it was topped off with an old-world architecture design. Victorian, if I was right, complete with a huge clock. Compared to the surrounding buildings, it certainly caught the eye a lot easier.

Teito Tower…

…It was incredibly gaudy. Who was the founder of this again? Mikana Hitoro or something? Guy had some weird tastes.

A swift wind brought me out of my examination as I suppressed a small shiver. Japan, compared to the humid and warm Australia, was a lot colder during December it seems. Enough that the wind bit through my clothes. If I knew it would be so cold, I would've worn something much warmer to match the weather.

…Thanks Blue, really appreciate the help there…

"You coming?" My attention was brought to a scowling Sahashi, as she shivered from the cold. Movement to my side had me staring at Yume as she stood next to me, hands held in front of her, back straight, and head cocked to the side as she looked back at me with that same gentle look on her face.

She smiled at me. "Let's go John-san."

I nodded, adjusting my bag slightly over my shoulder. "…Right behind you."

I followed Sahashi as she took the lead, Yume walking right after me as we entered the building. The air immediately became warmer upon entrance, and the urge to shiver immediately vanished. We basked in the air for a moment, before heading towards the elevator. The interior was completely modern, full of glass offices and matte black furniture everywhere from what I could see. It all looked quite expensive.

I stopped my examination as we entered the elevator, and with a quick press of a button, began to make our way up the tower.

As we rose, I thought back to my team, thinking of some of the suggestions they passed on to me on how to make it all a lot easier. They had told me not to worry on the physical examination and tests, as it was all too easy to pass them, being a Spartan and all. Just don't get too carried away on the practical's and start breaking things. They told me the few times each of them had, their examiners had taken that as proof that they weren't able to control their strength. They had been forced to take remedial classes to 'correct' that. I felt my lips twitch when I remembered Kelly being particularly vocal on her distaste of the 'classes', as it had reminded her about the recovery period after the augmentation's. Everyone treating them like they were hair triggers away from causing an accident, and with them having to treat everything like it was made of fragile glass.

It was the psychological exams that had left me a little uneasy when I thought about. They had told me that they were often weird and unpredictable, even going as far as asking extremely personal questions that made them uncomfortable. Problem was, the less they gave to the examiners, the longer the examinations lasted. Even lying had been hard, as Fred told me, explaining that they had been trying to make him pick up multiple hobbies to keep his mind occupied, as they had been particularly disturbed of his love of knives. He had tried, but found it hard to pick up anything else that had been unrelated to his physical training and maintaining his few personal items. When asked, he had lied, saying he had picked up deep sea fishing on one of his trips to Okinawa, something he heard of when he visited there with the others. They had grilled him incessantly, asking if he got a license, who had taught him, how many times he went, and the location of any 'good spots' that they knew most fishermen frequented depending on the season.

Fred hadn't even known certain fish migrated to certain areas depending on the season, and they had forced him to go get a deep-sea fishing license later that week after catching him on his lie, much to his initial annoyance. He admitted later that he had enjoyed it once he had gotten the hang of it, fondly telling me a story when he had caught several tunas, selling some to interested fishermen on the pier for a good price, while keeping and cooking the rest for himself on the beach.

Linda had been the one who took the longest on the psychological examinations, mostly due her withdrawn and quiet nature, which had been a bit much even for a Spartan. Unfortunately for her, it caused her evaluations to last much longer. It was only due to her sheer stubbornness, that they had given up and approved her in the end.

I still wasn't looking forward to it all. Formality or not, it just all seemed like a waste of time.

With a small ding from the elevator, we arrived at our floor. Still have to do it though, I thought a bit snidely as we walked out into a hallway.

It was decorated with holographic portrait's, some being about great inventors and scientists from what I could recognize, such as Tobias Fleming Shaw and Wallace Fujikawa who created the first slip space engine, and Galileo Galilei, the 'father of modern physics' if I remember correctly. There were other portrait's, such as what looked to be the opening of MBI, a dark-haired man dressed sharply in a white suit with a white cape fluttering behind him, oddly enough, and behind him stood the entrance to Shinto Tower.

I gave the rest of holographic portrait's idle glances, some ringing bells in my head but nothing concrete, while others I flat out didn't recognize. Several employees shuffled about as we continued our walk, carrying paperwork in their hands and entering nearby offices. Many of them nodded respectfully to Sahashi as we walked, some of them even greeting Yume, to which she returned cheerfully. It made me wonder. Did they know what she was? A nonhuman? Perhaps even an alien? If yes, I would find it hard to believe they would to be so welcoming of it, especially with the still tense relations with humanity and alien species, allied or not.

We walked down the hall, making a turn here and there, before we entered an area labeled 'Living Quarter's'. I raised an eyebrow; the employees could live in their work area? Odd concept, but I guess it would make sense if you couldn't really afford housing, or if it was more for convenience sake, if that's what it was meant for.

Once we entered, I immediately noticed a gym as we passed by it. It was huge, with what must've been several dozen machines and weights, even a large indoor track and wall climbing. Was that a rope?

"Do you like working out John-san?" I glanced over my shoulder at Yume when she asked, noticing that in my examination, I had slowed down my stride in order to get a good look of everything it offered.

I shrugged my shoulders. "It keeps me busy when I don't have much to do." I replied simply. The Infinity's gym was twice the size of this, but it had been constantly filled to the brim with Spartan-IV's and marines on a constant basis. This one was completely empty, almost as if nobody even bothered to even use the facility. I blinked. They even had a boxing ring?

"You can utilize the facility after your orientation in an hour or two." Sahashi snapped me out of my train of thought as she spoke up. I noticed the distance between us had grown quite a bit, and quickened my stride to close it.

"You'll be told what you can and can't use during your stay in here." She said when I closed the gap.

"I'll be staying here? In MBI headquarters?" I asked, puzzled. They hadn't told me that in the debrief.

"It'll be temporary. If you are here for what you said you are, then it's to successfully run a few tests while you try to reintegrate yourself into modern society. Think of it as a probation of your probation. There's still plenty of customs and societal norms you probably won't understand while in Japan." She clarified. "At least, if you were sent out by yourself." She stopped at a random door a bit further down the hall, opening it and holding the door as I approached. I peeked my head through the door.

It was a large bedroom, with a large bed, a couch, several appliances of furniture, including a large television, and a small kitchen. Walking in, I also noticed the closet and bathroom right next to it.

"This will be your living area until you're cleared to request housing on your own. You'll be expected to maintain an orderly living space during your stay. Any damages done to the room will be charged towards you if without a reasonable explanation." Sahashi droned as I walked to the end of the room towards the curtains and pulled them to the side. Sunlight immediately hit my eyes and I had to squint for a second before they readjusted. When they did, I was treated to what should be the memorizing sight of Shinto Tokyo.

The modern metropolis stared back. Ordinary civilians made their way back and forth the streets below, and with my enhanced eyesight, I was able to make out what looked to be multiple families as they made their way through the downtown area. It was peaceful. It was safe.

A large far cry to the constant war-torn battlefields most cities I had been were when the Covenant evaded, which had often been littered with human bodies at every turn. Men, woman, children, it didn't matter, the Covenant had been indiscriminate in their genocide against us. Honestly, I couldn't even remember the last city I had been to that was as peaceful as this one.

I stared at it quietly, a strange feeling in my chest as I took it all in. This is what I fought for twenty-seven years, only being able to finally see it almost six years after the war.

"A representative will be here with you shortly. For now," I could imagine Sahashi gesturing with her arms, as I heard the rustling of clothes. "Make yourself at home." I nodded absentmindingly, not quite paying full attention to her any longer. After a few seconds I heard her sigh and mutter something to Yume, who only whispered something back.

I ignored them, trying to decipher the strange feeling in my chest as I watched cars roll by, planes take to the sky, and helicopters roam idly by.

Apathy, I realized idly. I felt indifferent to what laid in front of me, and I felt a little puzzled at that realization. I saw the fruits of what billions of people had died for, what my Spartans had died for, and I could care less for it. It didn't fill me with happiness, nor sadness. I didn't feel melancholy, nor determination. It just felt empty to me, detached.

This peace…

Was it because it meant my fight was over?

I had thought I always knew my fate. That someday I would die in battle for humanity.

… But that day never came, and now it's time for me to put down my arms and reconnect with the people I've protected for so long. I had thought myself to be ready for such a thing to happen, just like my team had… but now, taking it all in from up here…

… I wasn't quite sure anymore…

The realization made me feel a little sad.

Looking away from the sight, I dropped my bags by my feet. I turned around, only to pause when my eyes connected with the large, brown ones of Yume. I noticed the lack of Sahashi, had she left already?

She stood there alone silently, a hand to her chest, and the other holding the hem of her skirt. She looked sad, I realized distantly, just like she did when she stared at the scars on my hands. My neck began to throb.

"…Is there something you need?" I asked her hollowly, still feeling detached, and a little unfocused.

The hand on her chest clenched as she stared at me sorrowfully, but this time I was unfazed. "…Empty…" She stated quietly. I stared at her flatly. What did she mean by that?

"You feel empty Stark-san." She clarified. "Tell me…" She continued. "Do you know what love is?"

_I love you._ I felt my eye twitch at that, her words bringing up a memory I've been avoiding the past weeks. One that only confused me, so I deemed it unnecessary to think about.

What was the point in thinking about what her words meant? Cortana was gone, and it was just another name in the list of people I failed.

And here was this thing, this S̮͇͈̦̅̾͋́͘̕͜͜é̴̙̻̰̦̲̐̄̾̏k̷̛̲͔͓͕̋͑̃́̏̾̍͘͢ǐ̫͚̝̩͚̩͙͖͓̄̈͂͆͢r̵̡̨̛̯̫͖͍̪̫͑͂̌̓̀̏̅̃ȩ̶̛͕̳̙̜͙̮̯̪̽͆̀́̊̅́͂͢ị̹̺̲̭͎̫̘͑̃͛͛͞͠͝, bringing those painful memories back to the forefront of my mind. Even if she wasn't aware, the thought of her prying into my life, one that she could never understand, irritated me.

"What's it to you?" Yume was unperturbed at my growl, walking closer to me slowly. My body was tense and rigid as she entered arm's length of me, her eyes never leaving mine as she did.

She raised a hand towards my face without a word, but with our height differences, that hand only made it close to my chest. I grabbed her wrist before press it against my body though, her fingers only brushing against my chest, right above my heart. It didn't cross my mind on how much stronger this thing was, or how it could retaliate, I didn't care anymore. I just felt my annoyance with her grow as she continued to invade my personal space without a damn thought.

"What are you doing?" I asked coldly. Yume shuddered at my touch, closing her eyes for a few seconds before reopening them. Wait a second, were those yin-yang symbols in her eyes? I felt a little unnerved when I noticed the newly black and white pupils.

What the hell was this thing?

"I can feel it." She whispered softly. "Your heart. You're a good person, full of kindness and strength John." I twitched at the casual use of my name. The sad smile grew slightly. "But you lack the knowledge of love. True love. The purest form of strength for all living beings." Even when it was quiet, her voice was passionate as she spoke, her eyes getting a rather unnerving intensity to them.

"…Listen," I began carefully. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm probably not the right person to talk about it with. Even if I was, I don't know you, and you sure as hell don't know me." I said firmly, trying to give her a firm push back with the wrist still in my grasp.

I felt a little disgruntled when she didn't budge, and my words looked to just go in one ear, and out another.

"…You will be a strong Ashikabi." Yume said suddenly. I blinked, Ashi-what? Never heard of it. "I can feel it, your potential. Strong enough that the little birds will flock towards you. To teach you love. To help you understand it, and when you finally do, for you to return that love back to them." She smiled, but this time it was a happy one, one without the remorse. "And you will finally learn true strength with that understanding. That I believe in."

"…"

And now she completely lost me. Little birds? Ashi- Ashikirabi's? What was she talking about? Why was she doing this? Was she after something?

…

…This woman was weird, I decided. She was weird as hell.

"Well then..." I looked over Yume when I someone new chimed in, a familiar voice.

Dr. Halsey stood by the entrance of the room; hands in her coat pockets and a dainty eyebrow raised when she saw us.

She had gotten old since I had last saw her. Her once greying black hair was completely white now, wrinkles tracing lines down her face. Her grey eyes were as sharp as ever though, even age didn't seem to dent that spark of intelligence she always carried in her. She was dressed in a two-piece lab suit with a white coat over it.

She raised a hand when she saw me finally notice her. "Now now," She snarked, voice dripping with a familiar sarcasm. "Don't let me interrupt the two of you. It's not like I have anything important to do now."

I grimaced, letting go of Yume's wrist as I backed up closer to the window. Thankfully, she didn't get closer, instead dropping her hand back to her chest.

I rubbed the back of my neck in an attempt to relieve the throbbing, feeling slightly embarrassed. I sighed tiredly. Seemed like being cold didn't quite work with her, so might as well be blunt with it.

"Listen…" I began apathetically. "Whatever this is… whatever you're trying to do." I sighed again. "I appreciate the thought. But I have enough going on right now. I doubt I'll have time to be this 'Ashikari'- "

"Ashikabi." Yume corrected, not at all bothered by my hesitance on doing… whatever she was talking about.

"Ashikabi." I amended. "I'm just here to receive some examinations and go on my way. Nothing more, nothing less." I thought for a moment. "And stop calling me by my first name." I added, almost as an afterthought. With slight hesitance, I placed my hands on her shoulders, and turned her around gently but firmly towards the door. I almost sighed in relief when she did it without resistance, and I ignored the slight shudder she emitted from my touch. I began to firmly prod her out towards the door.

"Ah," Yume muttered, bringing a finger to her lower lip as she looked up thoughtfully, before looking at me sheepishly over her shoulder. "I forgot you don't like using your first name Stark-san. Sorry about that." I almost rolled my eyes when I realized that was the only part she focused on.

I ignored the amused look Halsey sent me when we passed by her, keeping my focus on removing the creature from my abode. When we got close enough to the door, I reached over and pulled it open, and with one last firm push, she exited the threshold of my living quarters.

She turned to me as soon as my hands left her shoulders, and I idly realized her eyes were back to normal. She sent me a cheerful smile.

I ignored it. "As long as you understand." I told her firmly.

"I will work on it for next time Stark-san." She said in determination, holding her fists under her chin.

Hopefully there wouldn't be a next time.

"You do that." I muttered, closing the door, only to blink when it suddenly stopped before it closed. I stared at her through the crack of the door as I tried to put more pressure to close it, and she stared back with that gentle look on her face, her hands braced on the door.

"Remember Stark-san." She said passionately, and for a second, I thought I saw those symbols returned to her eyes. "Love is always the way."

I breathed out, repressing the memory that word brought.

Leave me alone already.

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered. "I'll keep that in mind." I finally relented, and her face lit up a bit. She stopped blocking the door, and with a small slam, I was finally able to close it shut. I immediately deadbolted the door.

"Take care Stark-san!" Yume called from the other side of it.

Shut up…

I palmed my face, before dragging my hand down it. I assumed she left when she didn't anything else, and turned to acknowledge the other guest in my room.

Halsey stared back at me with a smirk on her face. "I see you've been busy since we last saw each other _Mr. Stark_."

I rolled my eyes at the insinuation. "Yeah, no." I muttered. "And I didn't get to choose my last name." It wasn't a bad name though, short and quick.

Halsey smiled. "Not a bad one if I can say so myself. 'Firm' and 'Unyielding' if I remember correctly. A good name for you."

I raised a brow when I thought about it. "Is it supposed to insinuate something?"

An enigmatic look appeared on her face. "I'll let you figure that one out John. Think of it as homework during your stay here."

I grunted, wearily making my way to the bed and plopping myself on the edge.

"All jokes aside." Halsey's face softened. "Welcome home John." She said gently. "How are you feeling?"

I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees. "I'm green ma'am." I looked up at her. "And… it's good to see you." I really was relieved to see her safe and sound, especially after what my team had said happened to her.

Even if she had betrayed my trust when she kidnapped Kelly.

Even if she had done multiple questionable actions in the eyes of the UNSC and even ONI to get herself arrested under criminal charges.

Part of me always knew I would be hers, no matter what she may have done. I'm sure most, if not all, Spartan-II's shared the same sentiments. Halsey had been there from the start of it all, and if she needed anything from me, all she would need to do is give the word. A few personal feelings aside, I'm sure just about everything she had done throughout the war was something she could justify doing. After all, it was only because of her that I was chosen for something greater. I knew it was only due to her work that, no matter how unethical it was, when the Covenant attacked, we were ready.

Even though we were originally meant to crush the Insurrectionists.

"Seemed like you and Yume were getting a little close there when I came in though." She quipped, a small smirk on her face. "Already getting comfortable in your retirement?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not what you think. Do you know what her deal was?" I paused. "No… mind explaining _what_ she is?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I know that thing isn't a human. Looks like one, but it isn't."

"And how would you know that? Did she tell you?" I frowned, thinking back to the odd familiarity I felt when I first saw Yume. I still couldn't put my finger on the reason why though.

I shrugged. "Call it a gut feeling."

She grimaced. "…Of course it is. Well I see your still as painfully observant as always. Don't worry about what she is John, it doesn't really have any correlation with what you have to do here."

I wasn't happy with the deflection. "But ma'am- "

"No John." She gave me a slight pleading look. "For your sake, don't get yourself involved in anything she was talking about. Forget about it. Just do what you must do and continue with your life. Live your life John." Halsey looked away, traces of guilt on her face. "That's your new mission."

Her words stopped any further words of protest I may have had. My new mission. It went unsaid why she would want this for me, for any remaining Spartans.

I nodded. "Yes ma'am." I still had many questions, about Kurt, Serin, and the Spartans that supposedly 'died' during the procedures.

I could get my answers later, but I _will_ get them.

She gave me a tiny smile in return. "…Thank you, John." I followed her with my eyes as she made her way to the door and opened it. She looked back at me. "We should get going for you orientation."

I nodded, standing up. "Right behind you ma'am."

* * *

I stared at the darkened ceiling from my bed quietly as I recounted the later half of the day's events.

The following brief Halsey had taken me to inside Teito tower had been brief but informative.

In a few days I would have my first appointment for my psychological examination, along with a few physicals. During my 'probationary' probation period for the first month, they would run weekly tests. After that period, I would be cleared to get housing for myself depending on my results and progress, then the tests will only be bi-weekly.

This would all be over soon, I thought to myself. It wasn't too bad I supposed, given on all what had happened today. It certainly wasn't the worst day of my life.

After the brief Halsey had given me her number to contact her if, or when I needed any help. Though she had warned me that she had a very busy schedule for the next few months. She had been tight lipped when I had asked though, so I dropped it. Probably related with what Yume told me or something.

I couldn't help but let my mind wander to the creature I met today, Yume. That was a strange one, that was for sure. What puzzled me was her odd fixation to the word love.

Love. I grabbed my dog tags, fingering the data chip on it in thought.

_I love you._

I rubbed my neck as it began to throb once more. I let out a small sigh; I can think about that type of stuff tomorrow, for now I should get some rest.

I yawned tiredly, the events of the last two days and the jetlag finally catching up to me, and the bed was quite comfortable. A sudden vibration from the nightstand next to the bed brought my attention on my phone that laid on the top. I picked it up and turned it on, squinting through the brightness to see the text message notification.

'_Happy New Years Blue!'_ it read, sent from Kelly. New Years? I thought back to the holiday's Yamada had told me when we were on the plane, and then looked to the date on my screen.

_December 31, 2558_. Maybe there was a time difference between us?

It vibrated twice more as Fred and Linda responded with the same message, and after a small consideration, I did the same.

'_Did you see the news John?' _Linda sent. I raised a brow.

'_No. Why?'_ I replied, getting up from my resting position to grab the remote for the television.

'_They announced it almost 2 hours ago. Everyone is going crazy about it.' _I raised a brow at Fred's message before pointing the remote and pressing the power button.

"_-day for humanity and all of her colonies." _A woman on the television spoke from a podium, an ONI representative I realized when I saw her uniform. _"Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Spartan-117, the Hero and Savior of the Human-Covenant war, has been recovered yesterday after being shipwrecked almost five years ago…"_ I tuned out the rest as I stared blankly at the screen.

Well damn… I scratched the side of my head.

Only to nearly jump out my skin when I heard a loud explosion, feeling my pulse quicken slightly. I immediately jumped out of my bed, landing into a crouch as I heard another explosion. An attack? I grabbed my duffle bag from under the bed and unzipped it, rummaging through it and pulling out a small black case Fred had given me before I left.

I strained my ears as I heard something else; were those people screaming?

I opened a black case, revealing a fully loaded M6H2 magnum inside, two full magazines next to it. I picked it up, doing a quick inspection of the weapon. It was of the 'Gunfighter' variant, cut down, lacking the smart scope system, under-barrel flashlight, and forward trigger guard. Compact, lightweight, and easy to conceal.

I would've preferred the M6D personally, but beggars can't be choosers. I pulled back the slide a bit, finding there to already a bullet in the chamber. I twitched when I heard another explosion, the television playing in the background. I turned it off when I passed by it, making my way to the door. I paused, I didn't hear any footsteps or heavy breathing on the other side. I pulled the door open slightly and peeked out of it, holding my weapon close to my face as I aimed. The hallway was empty, and I opened the door all the way, checking the other end of it. Clear.

Closing my door, I made my way to the window. Another explosion, this one sounding to be in rapid succession. I pulled the curtains to the side, only to pause.

There wasn't any attack, I realized dully, looking down at all the 'screaming' people on the streets below. The _cheering_ people on the streets below.

They were celebrating.

I watched as another firework went off in a brilliant flash of green and gold, followed by a blue and red firework going off.

I swallowed, grimacing as I tried to block out the sounds as I made my way back to bed. I flicked the safety back on my weapon before placing it on the nightstand, picking up my phone.

_January 1, 2559._ It read now, barely a few minutes after midnight. The beginning of a new year. I ignored the messages I received as I placed it back down. I sat on the bed, sighing tiredly as I rubbed my eyes. I felt my body tense up again when I heard another firework go off, this one must've been a big one, as I even felt it rumble in my chest.

Laying on my bed, I pulled the covers back over my body, my feet dangling off the edge of the bed. Settled in, I closed my eyes in attempt to fall asleep, trying to relax my body and empty my mind.

Later, I'll deal with this later.

Another firework, another twitch.

Jesus they were loud...

…

…It would only after a few hours that I would find that sweet, dark embrace of sleep.


	5. Feather 5

_**On An Eagles Wings**_

**((Authors Notes:**

**Just in time for Thanksgiving…Yeah, sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long. I'm a little surprised that this story is still getting attention.**

**Oh well… Just stuff went on that made me put this thing on the back burner, like my health, along with having to revise this chapter about three times, so forgive me if the chapter is a lot smaller compared to the last one. Also, my muse got shot up to hell by the Halo tv series amongst other things.**

**I feel like some things that may happen there will affect some major parts of this story… but screw it, it looks like it might flop to be honest. So, whatever happens, I just won't consider canon I suppose.**

**Halo Infinite, you're my only hope.**

**Also had my first flame review, made me chuckle a bit at how… **_**well thought out**_** it was.**

**Also, for those who were dissatisfied or confused about the whole John/Yume confrontation, I thought I had made it clear about John not wanting to cause issues and mess with his progression before he even started, along with being bewildered as much as a Spartan can be when she showed how quick/strong she was. I also put in the slight dissonance he had between him with his armor and him outside of his armor, after all its pretty much hooked to his brain, and does exactly what he thinks, subconscious or not. He ended up suffering from this by not planning his reactions accordingly without his suit due to the dependency he had to the suit after fighting so long with it, which showed that while he is still absurdly quick, the slight pause to make the conscious effort to move put him in a disadvantage that Yume unknowingly capitalized on, hence why he was pretty much manhandled in the end.**

**Sorry if I didn't explain it well enough or left any of you unhappy with how I treated our favorite super soldier.**

**This chapter is a bit unedited as well, I'm just too tired as I post this, so I'm sorry if there's any glaring mistakes. I'll probably go back to edits some bits later on. **

**((SPOILERS)) skip if you don't want them**

**Admittingly, part of what made this chapter hard was the whole psychiatrist scene. I tried looking up literary examples of them, only to be kinda dissatisfied by what I found, so I instead talked to some buddies who served and had to go through this sort of stuff either during their service or after they retired. It also became a little personal when I also used some first-hand accounts of the stuff, and it turns out dishonesty or even slight paranoia are very common themes soldiers suffer from when dealing with therapists or psychiatrists.**

**I could only hope I did the scene some justice.**

**John: Aside from making a scene with the introduction of a new Sekirei, which, after Yume, he is extremely wary of. He's just trying to trudge along without making too much noise. Not to mention he was trained to bottle things up and disguise his emotions, which he automatically falls back to a few times. Only thing I'm gonna put out is that he was well trained and might be suppressing or doing a few things that he's not aware he's doing. So, to him, he's completely healthy both in mind and body.**

_**He's not. He just doesn't know it yet.**_

**Halsey: Wanted to show the mother/son relationship they shared, and how comfortable John was with her. She's no Cortana, who was based off her brain, but they do share the same wit at times. She just wants the best for John, but she's not the best when it comes to relationships.**

**Karasuba: I know there maybe a few in the back who wanted her to show up, well I hope their satisfied. She always seemed like a rather laid-back killer, willing to throw back a couple drinks with you before trying to eviscerate you with her sword. A pretty cool person who is always willing to tease someone, though there will be some major differences between this one and the one we get in the manga/anime. Especially with Yume still alive. Biggest one being how she views humans and the world all together, which will be later explored in the story. Though she was reacting to John, I figured, that unless under duress or bloodlust, she would be able to restrain herself. Instead gaining her interest instead. Watch out there killer.**

**Also, big question, as I continued outlining the story points and such, as I'm fully aware of how things end in the story, I felt as if there may be some unanswered questions or plot holes if I keep it strictly to John's POV, but I don't want to interrupt the flow of the story. So I was wondering if I should keep the same format, or should I switch to third person here and there as there are many things I want to cover to give an adequate narration behind the merging behind the two worlds that make enough sense. Also want to show the perspective on how some characters may see/view John as well, as most of his character I'm developing is through his eyes and how he views things, but he sees/experiences things differently due to his upbringing.**

**Give some feedback?**

**Chopsticks in the hands of a Spartan? OP. Then again, seeing what a guy could do with a pencil is something else.**

**Next chapter… John dealing with unwanted attention, along with misunderstandings… he's not old damnit))**

**I don't own anything.**

_**Feather 5**_

I shuffled a bit in my seat, blinking my eyes bit to get rid of the strain in them.

A small knock came from the door, and a woman walked through it after a second pause, clipboard in hand.

She smiled at me, dark eyes glinting slightly in the light. "Good morning sir. How are you this morning?" She asked, bowing to me politely. I sat up and bowed back slightly, the action still slightly awkward to me.

"I'm fine ma'am." I replied, a little bit of my apprehension leaking into my voice as we took our respective seats across from each other. If she noticed it, she didn't comment.

"I'm Dr. Rei Miyamoto Stark-san. Your psychologist for the duration of your time in Japan." I nodded in greetings at her introduction, giving her my full attention. She flipped a few papers in her clipboard, scanning through each one quickly, before she set it back down and clasped her hands over them.

"So, in the questionnaire you filled out prior to coming in you said you had nothing you really wanted to discuss? No issues or thoughts regarding your everyday life?"

I shook my head. Filling out the paperwork beforehand was a bit odd, it was just a questionnaire as they asked unusual questions, such as things related to substance abuse and trauma, things I didn't suffer from. "No ma'am." She hummed at that, giving me a small once over. I had to make a conscious effort not to fidget as she did, not wishing to give her any cues or doubts on the truthfulness of my words.

She went back to her clipboard, scanning through more papers. "So, since retiring from active service from the UNSC, you haven't had a hard time adjusting to civilian life? It does say in your records you have been a part of the military for quite a while, near the beginning of Human-Covenant war. You don't feel any form of guilt or depression? No thoughts of suicide or self-harm?" I blinked a little at that, a little surprised on how thick she was laying it on. I pursed my lips thoughtfully.

I never found myself ever believing I was better off dead, so I never thought of killing myself. I had an understanding that I could die anytime during the war and accepted it, willing to go to any length to get the job done. If I had died, well, there wouldn't be much to think about by then. Nor have I believed myself capable of self-harm. I didn't see a point to it, as I had to be fully mission capable whenever I could be. Hurting myself would have been detrimental to that. So, no.

Depression. Hm, that was something I never really contemplated on. I've lost many, yes, but I moved on, and kept pushing forward. There hadn't been much time to really self-reflect on much except on how far I was willing to go to ensure humanity's survival.

Guilt…?

Well…

…_Sam saluted me, even after I ordered him to die after taking a plasma round to the chest for me. "It's been an honor sir." He moved towards the nuke, ignoring Kelly's protests as I pulled her away. "Move with a purpose Spartans!" He barked, and we left him to die, alone…_

…_His voice crackled weakly over the com, weak and pained. "You two… shouldn't… be here…" Keyes rasped, and my partner could only hurry me as his vitals dropped further…_

"…_The Captain… he's one of them…" I could only stare, horrified at what he'd become. _

"…_Don't ever let her go…" Johnson rasped weakly; blood speckled on his lips. "Send me out… with a bang." Exhaling one last time, his eyes rolled back, eyes closing as his hand slipped from mine lifelessly. Cortana's chip remained in my hand… _

"…_I love you..." With her final words… she vanished forever…_

"…No ma'am. I don't have any thoughts like that." I said lowly. She didn't need to know any of that right now, as most reasons behind their deaths were classified anyway. Besides, there was still slight apprehension that if I told her, she could easy declare me unfit for duty and make this whole process harder for me. I didn't want to be here any longer than I had to.

"I see…" The woman across from me crossed her legs over one another as she examined me, a pensive look on her face as her glasses glittered slightly from the glare of the light.

My eyes felt heavy.

"Have you been getting enough sleep Stark-san?" She asked when I began to rapidly blink again.

I ignored my body's protests smoothly as I nodded quietly. She wrote something in her clipboard, the sound of pen sliding across paper filling the room.

"How many hours, if you don't mind me asking?" I began to drum my fingers on my knee in thought.

"…Enough." I deadpanned. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back into my seat. She noted my behavior quietly, writing on her clipboard once more.

I wasn't being completely honest, but two to three hours a night didn't sound like a good way to answer that question. I knew people, normal people, would require seven to eight hours of sleep in order to be deemed healthy. The lack of sleep to me was normal, as I only required as much to function properly in the battlefield. Problem was that I did that in order to be effective enough to fight, immediately catching rest when I thought possible. The initial time I had to rest was great at first, sleeping in to get a full six hours of sleep had been a refreshing change of pace. Though over the course of the past few weeks of the same lifestyle, I now found the extra amount of sleep to be rather detrimental, as I began to wake up more feeling more tired than I went to sleep. Perhaps less sleep was better for my body? I had adjusted to resting that way for quite a while by now. It was a little perplexing, sure, but I'm sure it's nothing I couldn't adapt to given some time.

"Okay, then I have several questions for you then, if you won't mind answering them as truthfully as you can please."

I sighed a bit, but nodded, and she smiled at me prettily. She flipped through her clipboard.

"Have you drunk any alcoholic beverages in the past month?" I shook my head and she wrote on her clipboard before continuing.

"Do you use any prescription drugs for anything? Supplements or vitamins you are currently on or have used in the past month?"

"No."

"Have you seen anything that may be considered traumatic in the past six months? Anything that may cause any form of altered thought or irregularities to your everyday life?"

I opened my mouth to decline, but the words caught in my throat. It's been eight years since I slept, but the past six months of my waking moments were still very clear in my mind.

The fall of Reach.

The loss of nearly all my Spartans.

They had been sobering experiences that were painful to go through. I had lost nearly all my brothers and sisters in Operation Red Flag.

The people I had grown up together with, trained and fought alongside with, gone in one operation that had ended in failure.

James going MIA in space.

Linda getting 'killed' in her attempt to back me up.

Then Halo happened right after. A week of non-stop fighting in order to prevent the extermination of all sentient life, 343 Guilty Sparks, Captain Keys…

…The Flood…

…I swallowed a bit to push down the disgust and hatred that enemy brought.

…And that had been only the start of it…

As if sensing my troubles, Miyamoto wrote swiftly on her clipboard, the sound of a pen scratching on paper filling the room. "…We can go about that later if you're not ready Stark-san."

I nodded silently, a little wary of her patience. I hoped I wasn't messing up here.

We continued the questions a little further, covering basic things, like my biological family, or lack thereof with the backstory provided by ONI, along with things she wished to clear up or get a better idea on in our next session.

"I'd like to talk about your early childhood years if possible, along with some of your past trauma's. I'd imagine someone like you who survived nearly the entirety of the war would have some. Even if you yourself might not know it yet." She explained, putting her hands up when she noticed me stiffen slightly. She was sharp-eyed, I had to give her that. "It's only to get a better understanding of the type of person you are. I can't help you if I don't understand Stark-san."

_Then don't_. Part of me wanted to snap out. Too many things about me were too highly classified, black inked, non-existent. John Stark wasn't even a real person, just a ruse, a fake. Created for the sake of keeping ONI's secret.

But I was sent here knowing this may happen, and I know for a fact, as proven by Fred, Kelly, and Linda, it was possible for me to get through this without revealing too much. Improvise, overcome, and adapt. It was a concept Spartans were all too familiar with.

I nodded; my tone terse. "Of course, ma'am." I held back from sighing when she frowned and wrote something else in her clipboard. A small pit grew in my stomach.

This was going to take a while.

* * *

Well… that could've gone better.

I sighed, breaking apart my disposable chopsticks and wielding them with a modicum of dexterity. I paused, staring at the food in front of me with slight apprehension as I thought of the session with Miyamoto-san.

…-San. Hm. Look at that, I'm already getting used to Japanese honorifics already.

The rice was clumped together and sticky as I put it my mouth, and I had to curb a small spike of irritation when I dropped most of it back into the bowl from my lack of familiarity with the utensils. As I chewed, I clumsily used my chopsticks to cut a piece of fish and place it in my mouth with similar results, the vague saltiness of the fish adding to the flavor as it mixed in with the rice.

I took a sip of my canned tea to wash it down, the light sweetness of it adding an interesting addition to the flavor. If there was one thing that I could find enjoyable in the civilian world that completely beat the military, was the food. Much more enjoyable than military rations, that's for sure.

I had long stopped enjoying, much less cared for what I put in my body, the quality of the food provided by the military becoming lower and lower until most of it was almost unidentifiable sludge that was high in calories and nutrition, but almost inedible when it came to taste. The loss of many agricultural worlds in the outer colonies saw to that.

My hand began to ache as I continued to wield my chopsticks. I wiggled it a bit before resuming my meal.

It appears the quality of food and even the economy had improved vastly on Earth since I last saw it during the war. Then again, it was Japan, which, as far as I know, was left relatively unscathed by the effects of the war, especially when MBI came around. Improving the all-around quality of life for the people of the country.

"Finally out and about your room for once?" I was broken out of my thoughts as I looked up, only to see an exhausted looking Halsey standing on the other side of the table, a cup of steaming black coffee in her hands. "Good morning John."

"…Afternoon ma'am." I corrected over a mouthful of food. I swallowed. "Decided to do something a little different for once." I frowned a bit as I lost another clump of rice from my chopsticks, furrowing my brow in concentration as I tried to pick it up again.

She blinked a little as she processed my correction, before staring at her watch. "…Well why don't you look at that? Another all-nighter." She sighed. "I really need a window in my workstation, the hours start to blend in after a while. Not being able to tell night and day doesn't help much either. It feels like a prison sometimes."

Halsey took the seat across from me, rubbing her eyes before taking tentative sips of her coffee. I placed my hard-earned chunk of rice in my mouth and chewed, looking up when she tried to suppress a yawn. I raised an eyebrow at her. It took her a second, but when she noticed my look, she smiled wryly. "I already know that look: 'When was the last time you got some rest?'" Halsey rolled her eyes a little when I didn't let up. "I think I know my limits John. I've been doing this sort of thing before you were even in diapers." She deadpanned, taking another sip.

I raised a brow at that last bit but didn't comment on it.

"Have you seen yourself?" I rebutted bluntly, and it was true. Her already aging eyes had dark, firm bags under them, the usual sharpness they possessed having dulled, which gave her an unusual look. Quite concerning as well, as seeing Halsey in any other condition rather than focused was something I've never quite seen myself. It would also explain why she had been rather distant since we last talked, and I could figure that it wasn't by choice, as she often took time to at least greet or talk to me for the few moments she had to herself since I arrived.

She raised an eyebrow as I took a sip of my lighter beverage. "I could ask you the same John. You look a bit messier than usual. Or is that the retirement complacency kicking in?" At my confused look, she gestured to her face. I brought a hand to my jaw, only to feel the prickly stubble covering it.

Ah, I forgot to shave this morning.

"Even Fred keeps his grooming to exceptional standards." She smirked. "You're going to give the wrong impression if you start looking like a slob."

I frowned at her chiding tone, rubbing my chin a little more self-consciously.

Halsey leaned her head on her hand, staring at me as smugly as possible, given her exhaustion. "Don't worry though. You still look quite fine John. I could see that the mix of cryo sleep and the augmentations has left you in quite as state that gets you quite a lot of attention from others."

At my confused look, she nodded towards something behind me. I rotated in my seat to get a look at what she was talking about, and it took me a few seconds of looking before I noticed it.

A good number of women in the cafeteria were staring at me, including a few men, the intensity of their stares slightly off putting. It wasn't the normal stares though, instead of them looking as if they found some type of strange creature, it had a different weight to it. I did notice that the few people I made eye contact with reacted in several ways. Some looked away immediately, some blushed before they did, others smiled coyly in my direction while playing with their hair, and a guy even winked at me.

I blinked, bemused and more than a little incensed at what just happened.

"It must be the rugged look though. Any thoughts of settling down? Meeting others?" Her tone was still joking when I turned around and began giving it some thought to figure out just what she was talking about. I shrugged in the end, not really understanding.

"…Not really."

She chuckled into her cup as she took a sip. I stared at her, waiting for her to clarify. She didn't say anything else, instead she just chose to squint at me, seemingly analyzing me. I was going to return to my uphill battle of a meal when she suddenly scoffed.

"Even if _you've _aged finely, you're saying I look bad? Have you seen yourself? You barely look any better than when you got here. Have you been eating properly? Getting enough rest? You know better John. I work here, you're here so you can get your life together."

I felt myself shrink ever so slightly at the scolding. I tried to look for a convincing comeback, it wasn't often she got like this after all. "…My appetite has been fine…" I defended myself weakly, grasping at straws.

My defense was swiftly torn apart when she eyed my lunch skeptically. A traditional Japanese meal that had been mutilated from my clumsy chopstick wielding, most of the food clumped together and messy, but relatively untouched. "Right..." She finally drawled out. "Just the perfect amount for any nutritional meal, given your stature." I felt my face heat up slightly.

…At least I was eating something.

Still, I found myself scratching my cheek a bit while looking away. I glanced back at Halsey when I heard her chuckle lowly in amusement, feeling myself relax once more. My lips twitched and I took another sip of my tea as she mirrored my actions with her coffee. We spent a few moments in silence, simply enjoying each other's company as we had our meal.

As I ate, I noticed the number of employees to filling the cafeteria beginning to increase as minutes passed, their idle chatter filling the area. I placed another piece of fish into my mouth when I noticed _it_ enter the room.

Just like Yume, it wore a tight leather black top, fingerless gloves black stockings and a miniskirt, a long grey coat hanging from her shoulders as well, an odd symbol printed onto it. She had long light gray hair tied into a ponytail, which was odd as she seemed rather young, and it didn't seem dyed. Gray eyes that had slight bags under them, giving her a rather exhausted look not all that different from the woman sitting across from me. Even so, she had a small, genial smile on her face that crinkled her eyes into slits as she strode over to the line, the other employees giving her wide berth as she made her way through the cafeteria.

"Speaking of which, how was your session with Ms. Miyamoto? Have you-… John?"

There was something about it that made the hair on my neck stand up, not as much as Yume, but enough to put me on guard. My eyes traveled downward, towards her left hand.

"John?"

…Maybe it was the long sword she was carrying; I thought dryly, feeling a little ridiculous on not immediately catching that detail. It must've been nearly five feet of steel, sheathed at her side. It seemed she didn't notice how odd a picture she painted herself to be, or she didn't care, with how she-.

"John!" I recoiled when I felt someone place their hand on my forearm, and I stared at Halsey immediately when she quickly brought her hand back to her person, a wary look on her face as she stared at me. I almost froze at her look, feeling my throat constrict slightly, immediately followed with shame.

What the hell was wrong with me? Why did I overreact whenever I saw these creatures?

I saw her narrow her eyes, before looking over her shoulder at the direction I was facing, and she stiffened. Looking back at the creature, I could tell why.

It was headed over here.

To our table.

…Shit…

"John." I turned my head in acknowledgement, but my eyes never left the nonhuman. It beamed at me as it came closer. "You need to leave. Now." This time my eyes followed, as I stared at confusion at her grim face. She was a little pale.

"Ma'am?" Halsey shook her head, and I was momentarily reminded to the look she had given me when I asked specifics on Yume.

"This is one of those things you're better off leaving alone." She said firmly. I cocked my head to the side, why was she was so against me meeting this creature, wasn't it like Yume? Her fervor was beginning to make me uneasy… well, more uneasy than I currently was.

"Ma'am I don't think that's a good id-."

"_Go_ John." Her voice became sharp, her eyes frigid as she clenched her mug in a white knuckled grip.

…..

…. Damn it, damn it. My mind raced as a bitter feeling blossomed from my chest. I clenched my jaw tightly. Again… again people are hiding things from me.

I breathed in and out to regain my composure, silent as I placed what remained of my meal on my tray, picking out my chopsticks and putting them to the side. I stood up from my seat, not even with a word of farewell, and preparing to place my tray at the designated drop off.

…Which was past the sword wielding female. Thing.

Great.

Squaring my shoulders, I began my march towards my destination.

"John!" Halsey hissed at me as I closed the distance between me and the creature.

Its eyes opened slightly as it stared at me in amusement, no doubt seeing how rigid I was as the distance between quickly shrunk. My fingers began to twitch, and my muscles grew tense, cocked and ready to explode as soon as she showed any aggression. After Yume, I would not be caught off guard.

Not again… not this time.

It kept eye contact with me the entire time, its expression turning from amusement to curiosity when I didn't back down, nor avoid her like everyone else in the room had been. Its steps slowed slightly as it appraised me, seemingly dismissing me when I failed to be anything interesting to her.

We passed by each other without a word. I relaxed slightly.

She smir-

Adrenaline flooded my body and my blood roared in my ears as I whirled around furiously, mirroring the creature who followed suite. I pointed my weapon of choice at her as soon as we faced one another, the bowls and plates on top of my tray clattering from the suddenness of my motions, but not one fell. My hand gripped the tray tightly, ready to use it as a weapon if my primary choice didn't work.

We stared at each other tensely, and I could see its eyes, focused. A small grin on its lips. After a few seconds on our standoff, it suddenly raised an eyebrow at me from her position, legs bent, back hunched, hand hovering over the handle of her blade. I saw its eyes lower towards my hand where I held my weapon of choice and stared, almost in disbelief.

Its cheeks puffed out slightly, and I heard muffled chuckles as it withheld its laughter. I stared at her stiffly, not comprehending on what was so funny to it.

I looked down at my hand.

My eyebrow twitched.

A chopstick was held in it, the narrower end of it pointed at her.

The cafeteria was deathly silent. Nobody moved, nor made a sound.

"Snrk." Except for the creature across from me, slowly bringing its hand from the handle to its face to cover its snicker, a grin on its face. Its eyes were crinkled once more, its eyes dancing with laughter. I was unmoved, watching it blankly.

Well, almost blankly, as I could feel heat creep up my neck. I almost cursed, the adrenaline beginning to fade away, and letting me feel the numerous eyes on us.

It was the only thing at hand, and believe it or not, but anything can be a weapon if you are creative enough with it.

Still… a chopstick… I held back a grimace. Not exactly the most effective tool, but again, just about anything could be used to kill or maim if used creatively enough.

And I didn't quite lack in the imagination department… being surrounded by constant bloodshed made sure I didn't.

I stiffened when the thing bent over slowly and I noticed it pick something up. It noted my attitude with a smile.

"Yare yare~" Its gray eyes peeked at me in amusement, even as it stood back up and offered what it picked up towards me. It was a chopstick, and a small glance towards my tray showed that while I didn't lose any plates on it, the remaining chopstick to my set had likely flown off. "You need to be more careful there Ojii-san, we wouldn't want you to hurt yourself now…" it teased lightly, seemingly taking pleasure in my discomfort, and even though it shouldn't have phased me, I still felt my eyebrow twitch slightly.

Seriously, first Palmer, and now this S̮͇͈̦̅̾͋́͘̕͜͜é̴̙̻̰̦̲̐̄̾̏k̷̛̲͔͓͕̋͑̃́̏̾̍͘͢ǐ̫͚̝̩͚̩͙͖͓̄̈͂͆͢r̵̡̨̛̯̫͖͍̪̫͑͂̌̓̀̏̅̃ȩ̶̛͕̳̙̜͙̮̯̪̽͆̀́̊̅́͂͢ị̹̺̲̭͎̫̘͑̃͛͛͞͠͝ was calling me 'old man'. I didn't look that old now, did I?

Still, it seemed whatever moment that caused it to act aggressively had gone. I relaxed slightly and placed my chopstick down.

"Thanks." I grunted reaching for remaining one of the pair. As I grabbed it, our fingers brushed against one another. A sharp tingle went up my arm.

I retracted my hand immediately when the smile vanished from her face, her eyes opening fully as its body jumped almost violently to my touch. Apprehension filled its eyes as it stared at me, as if it was barely seeing me for the first time, and I noticed her cheeks flushing slightly as she continued to examine me. She was beginning to breathe a bit heavily.

I idly noticed that the remaining chopstick was clenched tightly in between my fingers, ready to use it as a weapon in a second's notice, the wood straining audibly. If the creature noticed, she didn't seem to mind it, seemingly more preoccupied with examining me. Her mannerisms reminded me of Yume, but there was an intensity there that the brown-haired female had lacked.

I shuffled a bit; Was there something on my face?

"…Are we done here?" I eventually grounded out when the last of my tolerance for the situation ran out. What was this things problem?

It blinked, seemingly broken out of her daze with my words. "Ah…" Her eyes crinkled once again, the flush receding with noticeable effort as she regained her previous posture. "It's nothing Ojii-san. Just be careful next time, we wouldn't want you to hurt a hip if you move that fast again." Her smile was strained as she nodded to herself.

I placed the utensil back on my tray. "Right." I replied dryly, still a little put off by the way she addressed me. When she turned; I believed that to be it, taking a few steps back. I was only able to put a bit of distance between us before she turned again, a thoughtful look on her face. "Speaking of which…" It eyed me. "I didn't quite catch your name Ojii-san."

I hesitated slightly. "…Stark." It frowned when I didn't say anything else.

"Usually people have a first name to compliment the last you know." She leered. "Hmph. Hope your old age didn't make you forget that."

I felt my eyebrow twitch.

This thing.

"And usually you're supposed to give your own name before you ask someone else's." I reigned my growing irritation, instead falling back into a state of indifference. I would not let this S̮͇͈̦̅̾͋́͘̕͜͜é̴̙̻̰̦̲̐̄̾̏k̷̛̲͔͓͕̋͑̃́̏̾̍͘͢ǐ̫͚̝̩͚̩͙͖͓̄̈͂͆͢r̵̡̨̛̯̫͖͍̪̫͑͂̌̓̀̏̅̃ȩ̶̛͕̳̙̜͙̮̯̪̽͆̀́̊̅́͂͢ị̹̺̲̭͎̫̘͑̃͛͛͞͠͝\ cause me to lose my composure.

It seemed to take my words as a challenge though, her posture becoming slightly hunched and more aggressive. I squared my shoulders grimly in response, refusing to back down.

She noticed.

Her smile was wolfish. "Oh-hoh? Well if you won't willingly tell me then- "

"KARASUBA! JOHN!" I blinked and looked up to see Halsey rushing up to us, looking a bit panicked. The creature, Karasuba, just sighed tiredly, her posture relaxing as she looked over her shoulder lazily.

"Hey there Catherine." It drawled casually, as if we weren't going to go at it for the second time in less than five minutes of meeting one another. "Almost didn't notice you there, with all the white you got going on there." I thought she was talking about her coat, until I realized she was gesturing to her head. I held back a scowl at the insult when I saw the look on Halsey's face.

She looked a little upset.

"What the _HELL_ are you two doing?" she practically hissed at us.

I blinked at her tone.

…

Never mind. She sounded pretty pissed.

"Maa maa~." Karasuba brushed off her anger with a lackadaisical wave of her hand. Though I furrowed my brows when the unfamiliar word touched my ears, my mind making no connections to anything in the Japanese language. A dialect perhaps? Or maybe slang? "We were just messing around Catherine, no harm done." I raised a brow at the familiarity she used when addressing her. Did they share a relationship like Sahashi and Yume did?

Halsey narrowed her eyes at her, before schooling her features. "I would expect this type of behavior from you given your… tendencies." The creature just shrugged innocently, smiling. Her eyes hardened when she looked at me. "But I expected better from you John. What were you thinking? Causing a scene like this? This is the exact opposite of what you're supposed to be doing. Jesus it hasn't even been a _week_ since you retired." I averted my eyes as she scolded me. It _has_ been only three days since I arrived in Japan.

I shrugged. "It wasn't that bad." My response caused her to squint at me, and I shuffled in place a bit uneasily.

"John." She sighed. "Look around."

I did.

Numerous eyes laid on us, some were wary, already picking up their trays to leave and get on with their day and as far away from us. Others were watching with rapt interest in the change in their everyday lives, eagerly eating up the commotion we were causing.

I withheld a grimace.

I might've messed up. Probably best not to dig I found myself in any deeper.

Karasuba seemed to notice the attention we received as well, given the sound of sharp metal sliding as she flicked the blade open from its sheath with a quick flick of her thumb. It quickly caused everyone, including me, to tense. They quickly returned to their meals at the implied threat, the almost closed eyed smile never leaving its face as it returned its blade back into its sheath with a small click. It turned back towards us, nonchalant.

Its smile widened slightly when it caught my gaze, and I looked away awkwardly. What a mess.

"John…" I turned to Halsey, who looked even more exhausted, her anger evaporating. "Just go back to your room. People are gonna talk." She sighed. "Don't worry, I'll figure a way to deal with it." She rubbed her eyes. "Which means I've got to deal with Tamaki and the Director… damnit." She dropped her hand. "Keep in mind that things are different now. You'll have to live with a different set of rules from now on." With her piece said, she stuffed her hands in her coat and began to walk away, her cup of coffee long forgotten on the table. "Let's go Karasuba."

Karasuba, who finally pulled her eyes away from me when beckoned, shrugged before following her. As they left, she turned towards me with a small wave. "See ya later Jo-Ojii-san. Try to keep things interesting for the next time we meet yeah?"

I couldn't even muster up the effort to even feel irritated with the butchering of my name. I stood there with the tray of unfinished lunch in my hands. The atmosphere was stifling, as the remaining patrons remained quiet, some even sneaking glances at me when they thought I wasn't looking.

I frowned and began to make my way to drop off the tray. As I made my way there, I could only feel a small pit in my stomach grow with every step I took. By the time I dropped off the tray, I could only stalk my way to the exit, wishing nothing more than to remove myself from the area.

I messed up.

I really messed up.

What was I thinking? To let myself to react to provocations so easily. I wasn't on the battlefield anymore. I didn't have to fight my way out of situations like I usually did.

It was too easy to fall back into such reactions though.

I clenched my hands tightly. Was I wrong to? Did I have to really fix myself in order to live in this new world I barely took two steps into? I knew I was different, but with the incidents both here and in the airport, it almost seemed as if there was something there, just waiting for me to slip up.

…

…

No, it was just a simple error, that was it. A lapse of judgment. Halsey was right, I _did _know better, and yet I still did what I did. I still had time to correct it though. Still had time to make things better. It was why I was here after all, to be able to blend in with the civilian populous until it was time to become a contractor for ONI.

I rolled my shoulders as I exited the cafeteria.

Yeah, it was that simple.

"Oh? Stark-san!" I turned at the yell, only to tense up when I saw Yume fast approaching my position, waving excitingly. "Where were you? I went to your room so we can have lunch, but you weren't there!" She stopped in front of me and I took a step back as she leaned in. "Where were you?"

Ugh. Why now?

"I just had lunch." I muttered, trying to put a distance between us. I grimaced when that proved fruitless as she closed it not at all minding my personal space.

"Mou." She pouted slightly at my answer. "Where are you headed to now?"

"My room."

"I can walk you there if it's okay?" I frowned slightly at her persistence.

"Weren't you going to eat lunch?" As if to prove my point, a small growling noise came from her. Loud enough that it startled me and caused me to go rigid in response.

She looked a bit abashed. "Ehehe." She giggled weakly, even as she held her stomach as it reminded her again to feed it.

I sighed, alien or not, I could sympathize with going hungry. So even against my better judgement, I made a decision. "Let's go get you something to eat then." Maybe getting her fed would be enough to leave me alone after.

She smiled brightly at my offer. "Um!" I looked away, feeling a bit awkward on how happy simply offering to eat with her made her.

"Let's go." I grunted, walking back into the cafeteria. It was just staying with her as she ate.

How bad can it be?

* * *

"Well," I muttered as I stared morbidly at the sight in front of me. "You sure have an appetite."

"It's been a bit hectic at work recently," Yume at least had the decency to look a bit embarrassed, even as her spoon made steady trips from the plate of curry and rice before her to her mouth. "I had to skip breakfast to accommodate."

"Hm." I nodded but gave the spoon in her grasp a sidelong glance. Where did she get it? It would certainly beat using those stupid sticks to eat. Whoever thought eating like that was good was an idiot. Damn things were cumbersome to use and not as effective as a good fork or spoon to eat a meal with, hell even a spork would be better.

Still, as I watched her put her fifth plate to the side to grab her sixth serving of a literal mountain of food, I couldn't help but think…

Where the hell does she put it all…?

Unconsciously, my eyes began to wander downwards, and only went a little past her collar bone before I caught myself and snapped it up back towards her face. Yume didn't notice my action, more preoccupied with inhaling her food with surprising grace.

I didn't need to be considered rude as an addition of offenses.

I found myself waiting patiently for her to take a break from eating to drink her tea before continuing.

"What do you do anyways?" She had been part of the detail to detain me when my biometrics came out incorrectly, but did she have an actual job here? Being an alien and all.

"Well," Yume brought a finger to her chin. "Mostly security with Karasuba-san. Though we were used for much more than that a couple years ago." She placed another scoop in her mouth.

I raised a brow, a little intrigued. "A couple years ago? What did you do then?"

"Fighting mostly." She said after swallowing.

"Fighting what?"

"The Covenant mostly." She said simply, and I paused to look at her incredulously. She blinked when she noticed the look I was giving her. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No." I said lowly. "But when did you fight the Covenant though?" Was it the loyalist remnants of them from after the war?

"During the Battle of Earth of course." She gave me a curious look when my expression didn't change. "It was back when MBI gave the UNSC assistance against the Covenant."

I shook my head. "It was said that you all helped by providing medical treatments and medicine during the times." It didn't mention them bringing supernatural beings into the fray anywhere in the articles I read on Waypoint.

She finished the last bite to her dish and stacked it on top the others, now giving me her full attention. She took a second to think. "Well of course not. After all, being what we are, we can't exactly allow our existence to be exposed on media. Not with the state humanity shared on nonhumans at the time."

"Because of what you are." I reiterated carefully.

"Yes." She stared at me intensely. "You do know, right?"

"I know that you guys aren't human." She frowned a little a bit from my terse tone.

"…And that bothers you?"

"A little." I sighed when she looked a little crestfallen. "But not in that way. Its more that I don't like not knowing what you are. You're an unknown, and that… bothers me." I admitted.

I gave her a pointed look at that, hoping that she could get where I was getting at.

She opened her mouth to respond, closed it and thought to herself for a moment. "I… can't tell you." She smiled apologetically at me. "I have explicit orders from both Takami-san and Catherine-san not to willingly get you involved in what's happening."

"And what exactly _is _happening?" I retorted sharply. I exhaled from my nose when she gave me another apologetic look. I could tell that she did want to tell me, but her orders kept her from doing so.

Another dead end, great.

I tensed when I noticed Yume move, and gave her an odd look when she placed her hand on my left arm in what must've been a consoling gesture.

"I don't wish to do this to you Stark-san." She said gently. "I know you are hurting; I can see it in you."

"You don't know anything about me."

"I do not." She admitted. "But do I believe there is a bird out there, waiting to be released from there cage, to meet you and heal your wounded heart."

"Because I'm a 'powerful Ashikabi', right?" I said sarcastically and held back a grimace when she looked a little hurt.

I sighed. "Apologies. I didn't mean to say that. I'm just… confused is all."

She smiled a little gently at that. "It's alright. It's a little difficult to explain this to someone who I can't really explain it to."

"Right…" I thought for a moment. "'Birds', you said. What does that mean? Are they related to being an Ashikabi?" I idly noticed she now had placed both her hands on my hand now, her soft hands laid on top of it.

"Birds that teach love. The rumored name of our species." Her eyes gained an intensity to them, a familiar ying-yang symbol appearing in her eyes once more. "People are said to become stronger by loving and being loved. Once again the same for us. They are little birds who will one day spread their wings and show love to all." I listened raptly to her words, trying to deceiver the meaning to them.

"So these 'birds'," I muttered, trying to make sense of it all. "Bond themselves to Ashikabi… for love." I tried to keep the doubt from entering my voice as she nodded happily at my conclusion. A species that devoted themselves to love and helping others find love?

…What a ridiculous story.

Maybe it was due to my own personal experiences with other alien races. Warriors, carnivorous, and theological cultures were things I could believe alien to have. Kig-Yar with their pirating, Jiralhanae with their dulled, apelike, and extremely violent culture. If someone told me that this new humanoid species had some type of purist culture, believing themselves to be something like 'revolutionized humans' that believed humanity to be inferior as a whole, I would find that plausible.

But aliens who believed in love and helping others finding love? With inhuman strength and speed the likes that Karasuba and Yume had?

…Where had they been at all this time?

…

…Next thing I'll find out, that that Yume's species would need a… kiss or intercourse with their bonded Ashikabi in order to, I dunno, fire lasers from their fists or something.

To be frank though, with what I've seen, from the Gravemind and the Forerunners, it taught me that there is more to this galaxy than what I could originally imagine. Maybe it was just me meeting so many violent species that I almost expected them to be somewhat alike?

Still, I found myself having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of love, _love, _being the one focus for a species to worship or hold in high regard.

"…I see…" I settled on saying, even though I was a bit lost. Best not to let Yume know of my actual thoughts.

"Um!" She at least looked a little happy at me 'understanding' her and her species at least.

Speaking of which… "Can you also let go?" At her confused look, I flexed my hand, which she had been massaging slow circles around the back of with her thumbs.

She looked surprised, immediately taking back her hands and bringing them to her chest. "Oh! I'm sorry Stark-san! I didn't mean to- um- sorry!" She was flustered, immediately bowing in her seat to apologize to me.

A little startled from the action, I waved it off. "It's fine. I'm not used to it is all."

"Oh?" She looked a little curious at that. "Why is that?"

"Reasons." I didn't feel like getting into it at all. "You done eating?" I tried redirected her attention instead.

It worked. "Hm? Oh yes! I am." She gathered her things as I rose from my seat. Done with the conversation, I began to walk out the cafeteria. As I exited, I began to review the information.

I at least learned something from this for once. Though I had even more questions than answers on a few things though.

MBI was in league with unknown aliens along with Halsey. Problem was, did ONI know? Did they know what was going on in Japan? And if so, what were they going to do about it?

So many questions… I turned around when I continued hearing the same footsteps walk a little way behind me for the past minute. It was Yume, who smiled gently at me from her spot to my left, a step behind me.

"Why are you following me?" I said bluntly, believing that we had already concluded our interaction for the day.

"I'm walking you to your room!" She said simply, as if it was the most common thing ever.

I sighed. "You're still on that?" I had honestly believed her to be satisfied with just keeping her company as she ate. I was serious about being a little unsettled by her from her unknown origins.

"Of course!" She beamed at me as I stared at her tiredly. How can this thing want to be around me so much?

Thinking back to what she said about her species, I came to a conclusion.

But she couldn't be…

I shook my head of the thought and resumed walking. Yume's footsteps echoing just a pause behind mine as we went to our destination in silence.

I just kept a straight face the entire way.

Baby steps Spartan. Baby steps…


	6. Feather 6

_** On An Eagles Wings**_

_**((A/N:**_

_**So, I'm not dead yet, as you can see. Rough times recently that hit my motivation for this story. Damn, it's really been 3 months since the last update. Well, I seem to be getting some attention still so I'll count my blessings.**_

_**Oh yeah, came out with a new Halo/Naruto story called In the Shadow of Gods, check it out if you want, it's still in its infancy so there's not too much yet. Don't worry though, this story is still my priority.**_

_**Should be seeing a better future come April, so I'm looking for a better update schedule by then.**_

_**Thank you those who are still loyally following this story still, I can keep writing because of you guys.**_

_**Also, for the ones that review, can some you guys open up your PMs? I would love to talk to you guys about the story when you guys have questions, but most that review don't have them open, so I cant talk to y'all. Even as a thanks for reviewing or following the story, y'know?**_

_**(Spoilers) Skip if you don't want any.**_

_**So I finally tried to add a third person perspective into the narrative, there wont be many as 90% of the story will be told from the Master Chief's eyes, but I felt there would be too much left out if I didn't include these type of scenes.**_

_**I incorporated more world building of my own, as I found it odd that humanity didn't really suffer any consequence from fighting the war except losing their planet (If they did then I couldn't find much info about it weirdly enough). War takes a toll, and since everyone is all 'this don't make sense' and stuff, well, we're learning as John learns really, so we're not going to know everything from the get go. Hints are dropped this chapter on some bigger events and how the world works some. If anyone has any criticism on what I did, let me know respectfully yeah?**_

_**People are kinda upset with the lack of progress going on, as well as wanting to see John fight a Sekirei to show how powerful he is. I get it, and you guys are right, this story has been a bit slow on progress, but at this point of the story, the Sekirei Plan isn't even in phase 1 yet, but we're getting extremely close now. After this point, it will be nothing but progression, along with some fights, so I humbly ask you guys to remain patient for a bit longer.**_

_**John and Halsey: Again, they always had a hint of a mother/son dynamic going on. With John not knowing 100% of her situation, he could only make assumptions or take her word for it. Halsey, while being a mother, was a better one to the Spartans than she ever was to her child, but she still struggles. **_

_**Karasuba and Yume: Yume, on top of being one of the most powerful Sekirei in canon, was also the one that kept Karasuba's violent tendencies and outbursts in check, all while trying to convince her about love and humanity being the greatest things. I wanted to show that while Karasuba still is the same person, she's also changed, as Yume's death was the biggest factor in becoming the hateful person she was. Her ideals had changed because the one person who could tolerate her never left her life, and I wanted to show how small changes could cause even bigger consequences.**_

_**Also, John and the Spartan-II's are smart. Like, dumb smart, or genius smart, take your pick. The books emphasize how quickly they can process and adapt to new information, especially in short notice or on the spot. These guys, on top of being unstoppable machines, are also smart as hell.**_

_**As always, read and review. It's the only way I can improve as a writer.))**_

_**Feather 6**_

I woke up to the darkened ceiling above me, blinking my eyes to clear them properly. Noticing a lack of light peering from my window, I reached for my phone, squinting my eyes slightly when the screen turned on, needing only a second to adjust them.

_0152._ It read.

I grimaced a little at how early it was, setting it back down. A little over 3 hours of sleep this time it seems.

Sighing, I moved the covers from my body, and hopped out of bed. I walked up to the window, pushing the curtains to the side as I looked at the darkened city of Shinto Tokyo, the stars and moon still shining high in the sky. Snow lazily made its way down to the streets below, covering it in a thick blanket of white, and contrasting heavily with the surrounding darkness.

It's been three days since the altercation with Karasuba. Since then I've barely seen either her or Yume, aside from getting feelings of someone staring at me intensely occasionally. When I checked though, I was barely able to catch a glimpse of them turning the corner a few times. Other times I couldn't see them at all. They probably had gotten in trouble with their employers, perhaps even got scolded for Karasuba's behavior. I know I was the day after by Halsey. So, I continued going about my days, busy with all the preparations MBI had given me for the outside civilian world.

I continued staring outside the window a bit longer.

It's been six days.

Six days since I arrived in this country, since I separated from my team so soon after finally reuniting with them.

I closed the curtains, making my way to my desk. On top was a laptop and tablet Fred had given me, an older model he hadn't needed anymore. Following the tidbits of information Yume had given me, I had been curious when she had told me of fighting the Covenant during their attacks on Earth.

I had begun to search up on Waypoint about the multiple battles that occurred during the Earth Sustained Defense Campaign. I found many instances of UNSC resistance such as the battle at Havana, Cuba with the deployment of the at time Blue Team consisting of Fred, Linda, and Will, along with several UNSC Navy, Army, and Marine forces. Aside from the UNSC winning the battle, along with the Centennial Elevator being destroyed, there was no other notable news. As it seems most of the attention was shifted to the SPARTAN-II team when they deployed.

The battle that took place in Cleveland, Ohio in the United Republic of North America, ended in similar results, aside from it being a pyrrhic UNSC win, there was no notable news of humanoid like aliens fighting alongside the UNSC in defense of Earth. Though I was a little surprised to read that Colonel James Ackerson had perished during the fight, having been intimately familiar with his hatred for Halsey and me. A cunning but shortsighted man who often mixed personal glory with the need to accomplish the mission, as well as someone who had tried to kill me during the initial testing of the Mark-V, along with belittling us SPARTAN-II's whenever he could get a chance.

A loss the UNSC suffered, but one that I didn't really care for at the end of the day.

I continued looking up what I can, and I found something that was did get my attention.

It was a small listing, with barely any detail in it.

_The Battle of Sector Six_. It read, the details lacking in location, specific local times, the strength of the UNSC and Covenant that the others had, only that it was a UNSC victory and that it occurred on November 17th, 2552. The information barely being half a page long.

I frowned at the lack of any other relevant info, trying to remember what had happened during that day. The fights I had been part of were beginning to blur together by then, but I couldn't pinpoint what exactly I did that day. Or at least anything more specific than fighting.

Still, there was nothing more detailing the possibilities of Yume's species being part of any battles, as the rest I had taken personal part of, such as the battle of New Mombasa, Voi, along with my recovery at Kilimanjaro. The only battle documented after that was the URNA Southwest Campaign, the UNSC's final push to eliminate the remaining Covenant forces on Earth following Truth's death on the Ark.

No sightings there either.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. Either Yume was lying to me, or whoever covered it up did a thorough enough job, as nearly all images of the battles I found were either of UNSC forces engaging Covenant forces, or of SPARTAN-II's fighting the Covenant.

Idly, I noticed most of the latter was of me fighting in my Mark-IV MJOLNIR armor. One specifically that caught my attention was me standing with a pair of M7 SMG's in my hands, looking into the horizon. The watermark showed that it was taken by a _'Benjamin Giraud'_, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was the same one who was claimed as a terrorist working for the rebels Lasky had told me about.

I let go of that train of thought with a small sigh, I instead looked at the several pieces of paper, my Japanese language notes. I didn't bother turning on the lamp next to it, my augmented vision easily piercing through the darkness and making out every character that was on the paper. I picked two of them up, one of them being of my earlier practices on calligraphy, looking rather shaky and sloppy, while the latest one looked neater and flowed a bit more gracefully.

Aside from how surprised I was to be given a paper notebook of all things to use by MBI, as aside from important matters such as my retirement papers from the UNSC, the usage of paper had been outdated long ago, it was almost a little amusing on how anxious I had originally felt about relearning the language. The floodgates of memories opening when I began to practice speaking and writing Japanese again. Halsey had even given me a quick class on Japanese literacy during her free time, as well as giving me some tidbits on Japanese customs to see how well I was able to adapt to the them and their societal norms for a normal civilian life.

The customs had been a bit odd for me though, as I wasn't quite used to things such as bowing to others or using all these other formal terms that were supposed to be used in a business setting or in a more casual setting.

I did appreciate how thorough the language was, compared to English. Still, on top of learning how to do things such as hand money to others and enter other people's houses. I even got a crash course on how to do finances.

That… was another story in itself; as I never really _had_ legitimate money to use and spend for myself in all forty-seven years of my life. It caused many concepts to go over my head and caused me to pause a little in confusion several times. I knew how important currency was, as it had been a few priority targets I had to aim for during a few anti-insurrectionists operations I had taken part in when we had crossed paths during the war. Luckily, we didn't get _too_ deep into that area so far though, as it was just supposed to help reintegrate me into society without getting taken advantage of. It was good I was made aware of Colonization Rebuilding Charity Scams going around before I became a victim of one, as I probably would've donated a lot of money to one for Reach if they had reached out to me. Now I knew how to make sure it was a legitimate charity before donating, and the warning signs to look for to identify a scam.

I had found it a little disturbing though, how others were willing to exploit things important to humanity like the reutilization of glassed planets for their own personal, selfish needs. It had taken me a while to wrap my head around that concept. Thankfully, the staff had been extremely patient with me, answering most of my questions without giving me any form of trouble. Though it just proved me that, while I had lived through what must've been the bloodiest and cruelest war in all of humanity's history, I was still quite naïve of many other matters regarding day to day life in the civilian side of things. That I was still entering a new and unfamiliar world that I wasn't meant for… and sometimes I felt a little overwhelmed…

I placed the papers down, feeling my lips turn downwards a little at the sudden turn of my thoughts. I willfully suppressed the growingly familiar whispers of doubt that began to linger in the corners of my mind.

My watched beeped loudly, and I looked at the time, realizing that just about eight more hours until my physical. I was wide awake now, so there wasn't a point to trying to get more shut eye.

I rolled my neck; might as well expend some of this energy at the gym since I had so much time.

I rubbed my chin idly, feeling the scratchy beginnings of a stubble there once more, as I walked into the drawers. I pulled out a set of workout clothes and quickly got dressed in them. After all, time used to better myself mentally or physically was time well spent.

* * *

An _ofuro_, a Japanese styled bath, or at least a compressed, modernized version of it… now that was something of a cultural shock that I never expected. The idea of using two stations to bathe was a strange concept that took me a couple of soaks to accept.

Though as I sat on the rather small stool, grabbed the shower nozzle and began to wash my body, I thought on why I was able to eventually get over my weariness on bathing.

I just didn't use the bath, only the shower.

I didn't see a point to it, as for me, the hot water was accommodating enough, and saw no point in wasting time filling up a bath, soaking after washing my body and having to waste more time than I should. Sure, it may be a little disrespectful to the culture, but I wasn't staying here for the long term, so who would I really offend?

I still found myself not used to the privilege of using hot water for long periods of time, thoroughly enjoying my soak underneath the shower nozzles spray as I used my free hand to wash my body. The act only took several minutes, and when I felt satisfied, turned off the shower and dried off. I threw my dog tags back on, and began getting dressed for the day, throwing on a pair of pants went to the coffee pot in the kitchen, turning on the television as I passed.

"_-It's kind of hard to believe isn't it everyone?" Arthur Mason, the early morning show host of the show Reality Check, chuckled. "The Master Chief, savior of humanity, is still alive."_

I perked up at this slightly, glancing at the television as I began to make a new pot of coffee, putting new coffee grounds into the filter.

_Still smiling, Mason leaned back into his seat. "The man, the myth, the legend… I think I'm not the only one who agrees with the fact that him being back is gonna do a hell of a lot more good for humanity in the long run."_

_The crowd murmured their agreement to the show host's comment._

I frowned slightly, filling up the machine and pressing the button causing it to whirl to life.

It's not like I'm going to be able to do much now anyways. I'm retired. The most the UNSC is going to have me do is run a classroom with a bunch of Spartan-IV hopefuls. Well, if all things went well, which was looking less and less possible after that confrontation with Karasuba at the cafeteria a few days ago.

I swear, it's like something out there just wanted to mess with me.

"_Still," Mason sighed. "Its kinda hard to believe that the man was Missing in Action all this time. Like c'mon, did the UNSC take the wrong turn with this guy on board and got lost this entire time? If that was the case, then I would feel sorry for the poor sod who messed up that badly!"_

_The audience laughed, one guy in the background screaming "IDIOTS". Many in the crowd chanted their agreements with him._

"_Now now." He threw his hands up, cooling down the temperament of the audience with a quick shake of his hands. With them silent, he continued. "That may be what happened, but until they tell the official story, it's all in the realm of possibilities, for all we know he could've been doing some super-secret, highly-classified mission that he wasn't supposed to come back from." Mason ran a hand through his well-maintained blond hair, a charming grin on his face. "Let's just be happy a guy like that is back."_

_His audience murmured as his face became a little grave._

"_But let's be honest. With the state of the galaxy right now, he might be more important than ever. You hear what's going on out there nowadays? Covenant Loyalists still waging war against us. Rebels, fellow humans, continuing to butcher and terrorize UNSC soldiers and innocents for a misplaced sense of greed and hatred against Earth and her colonies." _

_He folded his hands near his face. "The war ended almost seven years ago, and yet it's almost like things haven't changed since." The audience was quiet, everyone absorbing his words as he spoke._

"…." I stared at the screen as well, silently absorbing his words.

He was right. All this stuff was still happening throughout the galaxy, and still the UNSC still saw it fit to retire me. To retire -IV trainer or not, I should be out there in the frontlines, taking the fight to our aggressors. Not here, in some medical facility to check my physical and mental wellness in order to see if I was stable enough to get a job away from the battlefield.

My palms began to itch. I ran my nails over them.

"_The horror, the pain, the sadness. We're nearing a decade since the war ended, yet we all still feel the effects of it. Now don't get me wrong, it's not as bad as before. I'm sure we all remember how bad things were when the war first ended. Food shortages due to all the agriculture worlds that had been glassed and the growing numbers of refugees, missing people who were never found, the ever-increasing wage gap between the poor and the rich. And let's not even get started on how badly the veterans of the war were left off after they came back. Too many with plasma burns, missing limbs, missing families. It was a grim time for everyone." Mason sighed solemnly. The crowd, wondering where this was going, murmured at the reminder. The atmosphere felt grim._

_While humanity had won the war, the damage to its society had been too great. Even almost seven years later, they had recovered tremendously, but compared to the power they used to have in the galaxy, it was nothing more but a drop in where a vast ocean once existed._

_With humanities near extinction, there was a huge void left behind, full of snuffed out hopes and dreams of many who perished to the overwhelming odds of an enemy who hated them for no other reason but being human._

"_But," Arthur Mason began, his tone lighter. "Look where we are now, look how far we've come. Even with all these enemies attacking us, both foreign and domestic, we've come so far as a whole." His voice was picking up intensity. "We fought back, with hope still raging inside of us, that we can make our situation better, that we, humanity, can come back, bigger, better, and stronger than ever!" _

_The crowd was becoming energetic to his words, many of them voicing their agreements loudly as the talk show host continued._

"_And damn it!" he slammed his fist on his desk, the crowd becoming wilder as they began to chant his name. "We showed those alien bastards to never mess with humanity ever again! That even in our lowest points, we'll still pop back up! SWINGING WITH ALL THAT WE GOT UNTIL THE LAST MAN!" He roared._

"_MASON! MASON! MASON!" The audience cheered._

"_AND YOU KNOW WHO SHOWED US THAT HOPE! DO YOU KNOW WHO IGNITED THAT SPARK IN OUR HEARTS TO NEVER QUIT! TO NEVER GIVE UP!?"_

"_THE MASTER CHIEF!" The crowd screamed their answer. "CHIEF! CHIEF! CHIEF!" They began to chant._

I blinked in surprise at that.

What?

"_DAMN RIGHT IT WAS! AND YOU KNOW WHAT?!" He raised up his arms. "WE'RE STILL HERE YOU GODDAMN ALIEN BASTARDS! AND NOW THE CHIEF IS BACK! SO, YOU BETTER START PRAYING TO WHATEVER GODS YOU FOLLOW BECAUSE YOUR 'COVENANT' ENDS NO-!"_

I change the channel, some type of Japanese game show coming up instead, more than a bit incensed at what I just what.

During my research on Yume and her species, I had read about my exploits throughout the war others had wrote. How glorified they were and how people considered me to be some type of war hero.

It filled me with disbelief at first. People couldn't see me in that type of light, right? I was just doing my job after all, nothing but the duty expected of me.

After this though, it showed that I was wrong about that. Horribly so.

I didn't want the popularity or recognition that came with being seen as a hero. Service and the respect of my fellow soldiers is all the reward I ask for.

I could only hope they understood that.

The machine beeped as it finished brewing the coffee. I poured it into a mug and without waiting for it to cool down, took several sips immediately. The coffee scalded my throat and tongue, and was bitter as hell, but it allowed me to take my mind off that and continue getting dressed for the day.

As I got dressed, I watched the game show, finishing my coffee as I did. The contestants were playing a game of dodgeball it seemed, two males versus two females. It only went on for about three minutes, with the males winning and the females having to pay some type of 'penalty'.

I raised an eyebrow when turned out they would have to blow a dead cicada into the others mouth with a tube and watched with morbid fascination as the two females went at it, despite their initial hesitation.

It only lasted for a few seconds, but I grimaced in disgust when the losing female choked and gagged on the dead insect when it entered her throat, whimpering as everyone in the audience laughed and cheered at her misfortune.

"…." I was appalled.

Was this what civilians watched for entertainment? The humiliation and mockery of others? And the contestants provided this entertainment, knowing full well what could happen if they failed?

I held in a small shiver, I had odd Spartans that I grew up with, odd soldiers that I worked with, but this was just nasty.

Civilians were weird. What was wrong with them?

I turned off the television when I was finally fully dressed, my coffee mug completely drained of its contents. I didn't even bother flicking the lights on, noticing the beginnings rays of sunlight beginning to peek through the curtains.

I rubbed my face wearily, time for another day in 'paradise' I suppose. I still wasn't quite used to all this newfound freedom. Though after this appointment, if all went well and I was cleared, I should finally be able to move out of here and into a house in Shinto Tokyo soon enough

As if to remind me of the time, my stomach grumbled hungrily.

…

Might as well get something to eat, best get to work without an empty stomach.

* * *

The physician gave me a calm smile, his glasses glinting in the light as he prepared his next question. I sat across from him on top of the bed, naked save for a pair of black compression shorts covering my modesty. To the corner of the room, his nurse stood, a woman, who currently had her hands clasped in front of her, head bowed slightly so her hair covered the red tinge on her face as she kept sneaking glances at my body when she must've thought I wasn't looking. I just hoped she was okay, as I knew that wasn't a healthy look to have. Was she sick?

"So Stark-san." Dr. Müller began, scrolling through the data pad in his hands as he looked up the information he needed. "According to the files I've received from Dr. Lacy from on board the _UNSC_ Infinity, it seems you had several injuries to your body, as well as a decreased body weight that had him concerned enough for your health." Looking it over a few more time until he was satisfied, he passed the data pad to the nurse, who immediately took it from him and hugged it to her face, covering more of her flushed visage.

"I believe we can both agree that," he smiled. "That's the least of our worries now. Congratulations. You're nearly at a clean bill of health. Your weight is back in the healthy margin for someone your age and height, and those wounds had healed up quite nicely I would say." I nodded, due to Dr. Lacy's treatments, almost all the contusions, bruising, flesh wounds, and burns on my body had healed quickly without much left to be seen on my pale body.

"Hm." Dr. Müller hummed appreciatively. "Especially that pesky chest wound you had there. It's looking quite good if I would say so myself." He leaned back "Plasma burns are always the hardest to heal from, as they are quite tricky to treat without making the wound worse. Luckily, we have the proper medicines now to fix that nowadays. I would say 6 or 8 days more and it'll be healed by then."

I nodded again at the information idly, taking a small glance at my chest. The once gaping hole of twisted and charred flesh from the third-degree plasma burn was now a healing, twisted patch of flesh Most of the muscles bits that had been originally burnt away had been renewed, the fibers noticeably twitching against the still healing skin with my movement if you looked hard enough. Better than having a gaping hole of charred flesh, I guess.

"Though if you don't mind." He started. "I would like to do something a bit more for that than the norm." At my raised eyebrow, he stood up and walked to the cabinet behind him, immediately rummaging through it and pulling out a syringe full of a clear liquid. I felt myself stiffen at the sight of it a little.

Noticing my alarm, he raised hand quickly. "Calm down now. This is to accelerate and define the healing process for your wound. We don't normally hand this out, yes, as it's a newly developed drug made by MBI that's quite expensive, but it's been scientifically proven to work and be safe for people." He clarified, mistaking my worry about receiving a shot as concern for receiving an experimental treatment instead. "It's been used to help treat others who received plasma burns throughout the war."

I nodded wearily. "A newly developed drug?" I questioned. And it was expensive on top of that? Could he actually use it then? I wasn't a hundred percent sure how far medicine had advanced throughout the time I've been away.

Dr. Müller nodded, almost excitedly. "Oh yes! With the most recent partnership between Mid Bio Informatics and the No Warrior Left Behindorganization, we were able to test new medicine with willing volunteers who had suffered terrible wounds and burns from the war. And with the addition of newly developed research between the two, we were able to almost completely heal the worst plasma burns with barely a scar!"

I leaned back a bit from the man's enthusiasm, especially when he ended up getting close to me in his excitement, a bit disturbed from the gleam he had in his eye.

"I thought we had laser surgery for that?" I replied, a bit satisfied when he moved away with me with a small grin on his face.

"Outdated methods for this day and age. Due to the alliance with the Sanghelli, we were able to get a lot of their technology in about all stages in science. Weapons, medical, you name it, we were able to make it better! I can only imagine that in the next coming years, humanity will recover to the original state of power before the war in a fraction of the time." He waved the syringe in his hand excitedly. "Definitely a lot more advanced than we were originally!"

I nodded, mentally excusing the man for his rather animated enthusiasm on what was obviously his passion. Though the organization he spoke of did get my attention.

"What's the No Warrior Left Behind group then?" I asked, curious, especially if it worked with MBI to make such advancements in technology, like this serum.

The doctor blinked, seemingly back from whatever moment he had. He coughed in his hand in an effort to recollect himself, as well as hide his embarrassment. "You haven't heard of them?"

At my headshake, he frowned a little. "Well that's odd." He shrugged. "They're the biggest non-profit charity organization meant to help veterans of the Covenant war."

At my questioning look, he clarified. "After the war there were many soldiers who had tried to go back to a normal life. Not at all interested in the rising Insurrectionists splinter groups and the highly sought out Spartan-IV status. May I?" He gestured to the syringe, and holding back my grimace, I nodded.

He immediately began, throwing a pair of gloves on and sterilizing the shot area on my chest. "It was chaos at the time. Too many injured, crippled, or just barely alive with the aid of life support. The ones who didn't suffer from physical injuries came back with the mental ones." He shook his head in sympathy, even as he prepared the shot, giving the end of the syringe of few flicks as he made sure there weren't air bubbles in it.

"They were the ones who had it the worst. The ones who never finished the war in their minds, trying to come back to some semblance of normalcy in their life, especially those who had been drafted in. Unfortunately, neither injured nor uninjured had that chance. Missing spouses, children, friends and family. Most had lost it all during the war, their previous lives. The current VA programs and charities weren't cutting it anymore, as most of them had lost their influence or financial support due to their original sources being glassed on other planets… Now relax, you'll only feel a small pinch."

I tried to keep my muscles as loose as possible as the syringe pierced my skin with a small twinge of pain, and I could feel the injection enter my body inside my chest, before it extracted itself from it. Quick and efficient, the hallmarks for any experienced doctor. Still didn't like needles though, no matter how necessary they were.

"There. Not so bad right?" He smiled, passing off the needle to the nurse, who began to dispose of it immediately.

"Now then…" he paused, looking for where he left off. "Right, due to the lack of funding, most VA organizations fell apart, unable to treat or help the waves of crippled or unstable veterans straight after the war. The UNSC wasn't any help either, having all but shoved their VA programs to some corner of some dark and forgotten room. I can't blame them completely though. Honestly," He shrugged. "I don't think anyone expected us to win in the last battles like we did. Especially after Reach fell…"

He shook his head. "It was a horrible time, many veterans being taken advantaged of financially, no one caring about their mental or physical wellbeing at the time. There were many who were homeless and desperate, and there was just as many people out there to take advantage of that desperation. Don't even get me started on all the suicides there was due to depression or untreated PTSD…" Dr. Müller trailed off with a small grimace. A small look at the nurse showed that even she was somber from the conversation, her once flushed face normal with a small frown on her lips.

"The first few years… following the end of the war was not a kind one to many…" He concluded with a small sigh, and I became a little curious, the show this morning having said something similar. Just what exactly happened during the first few years post-war?

"It took a while, but someone decided to step up to the plate, a fellow veteran of the war. He suffered from the war as well, but he was able to reach out to many fellow veterans and began to create their organization here on Earth. Thus, the No Warrior Left Behind organization began, almost without a hitch, the only problem was for other veterans to start going to it, as well as build up a proper support channel to keep up their finances. Lucky for them, MBI was willing to step up to that plate, and with the backing of such a conglomerate, others were willing to pitch in and add to the sphere of influence. It was quite outstanding to be sure." He chuckled. "After all, the last time we had a VA organization centralized in Earth was back in the 22nd century, right when we started colonializing other planets. Reach had been the place where most organizations had built themselves at instead."

"Ever since then, they've been practically working off each other. Many veterans of the war were thankful for the second chances they received from both organizations and were willing to volunteer themselves to further advance their technology, be it prescriptions drugs, prosthetics, or other medical studies. Likewise, with all the volunteers, MBI was able to make such medical studies better funded and widely available to those who live with harsher financial burdens."

I nodded, but still… "And the UEG allowed for all this to happen? It seems odd that MBI would get so much influence so quickly." The company was a little over a decade old after all. who in their right minds who let them have that much power?

"The UEG was happy that someone was making their jobs easier. Not to mention that after the war, the amount of competition was so low, with how many companies were destroyed or financially crippled, it was easy for MBI to climb the ranks. As for MBI keeping the influence they gained, I would attribute that to the CEO, Minaka Hiroto-san." He smiled wryly. "He's quite enigmatic person if you've ever seen him on live television, but he somehow convinced those in the government of his abilities. Even was able to get his own private security force as well."

"Really?" That was surprising. This guy must be pretty good with words if he was able to do that.

Dr. Müller nodded. "It's mostly made up of veterans of the war, 'to put their skills to use' was what the CEO said. Basically, giving the job to any veterans that wanted part in it. It also helps out his company in the long run though, as MBI is expanding their reach outside of Earth with us recolonizing our lost worlds, this company needs people who are willing to fight back against those who wish to take our technologies and exploit them for their own means."

I nodded. Makes sense I suppose, with the Insurrectionists along with the lingering Covenant forces still out there in the galaxies, it was best to scope out their horizons with a bit of extra coverage. Still, this Minaka person must be one hell of a guy to get this done all in a little over a decade.

"Now then." He sighed, creaking his neck left and right along with rolling his shoulders. "I'm sure if you're still curious you can find out more on Waypoint. Watch that chest Stark-san, this'll be the only shot you need to fix it, but in order for the serum to work you have to take care of the afflicted area. Do you have any other questions? Anything else you would like to ask." He asked.

I shook my head. He was already pretty forthcoming with the information already. I wouldn't want to waste anymore of his time.

He smiled. "Good day to you Stark-san. Go ahead and get dressed and we'll schedule your next appointment."

* * *

After the appointment, I had finally read on how badly things were for humanity after the war, the poverty, the riots, the looting, the crimes that went beyond violating fellow human's rights… saying that things had been 'bad' was a gross understatement.

It was an utter disaster.

Perhaps it was because of the common belief of when a planet got hit by the Covenant, it took less than a week for them to reduce it to glass, as proven so many times before. Perhaps it was the fear of being eaten by the more carnivorous species of the group who didn't mind or favored human flesh. Who knowns, but the fact of the matter was that it was there, the uncontrollable, mind numbing fear that had seemed to strike and overwhelm many civilians on October 20th, 2552.

Just reading the many crimes others had committed to fellow humans, theft, murder, mugging, assault, even rape and other things such as necrophilia or cannibalism had left me quite disgruntled. Then came the rationalization of why it had even happened.

Had it always been like this? If it had then I never had seen it, often too busy with saving as many soldiers and civilians as possible before the Covenant finished off the planet.

Maybe it was because of how long the campaign had took? After all, most planets that became under siege were utterly devoid of life within a few days, or completely glassed, but not before the military facilities there were able to initialize the Cole Protocol before they perished. The Earth Sustained Defense Campaign took place for about three months instead of a few weeks, the only other planet taking that long to fall being Reach, which fell in nearly a month after the initial invasion had occurred.

Earth had been an extremely fragile state for two centuries, politically, economically, and resourcefully following the nuclear wars that occurred in the late 21st century going into the early 22nd century. Natural resources had been at an all-time low for the longest time, with the colonization of other worlds in the being the pillars of support for the planet itself as humanity finally gave their home world a chance to rest after being put through much turmoil. Things like climate, agriculture, and the environment was carefully measured and controlled by the UEG in order to preserve Earth.

It had only begun to recover after so long just this past century, nowhere near where it was when before the original industrial revolution occurred mid-18th century, when all the toxins and pollution that was allowed to fester on Earth first began. Technology such as flash cloning had also helped preserve things such as animals who were once endangered while also allowing the UEG to control when the season for hunting animals for food such as fish to occur.

Everything was carefully monitored and controlled by the government.

Though it seemed like the swarm of refugees that arrived trying to escape the Covenant had changed that with time. The hard-earned stability Earth had enjoyed had only lasted momentarily, the burden that weighed on both Earth's economy and agriculture from the slowly increasing population had sent many over the edge. Far from having support from the other colonies for resources such as food or even jobs had put those who migrated to be safe from the Covenant into harsh living conditions, just barely getting by feeding on the scraps of what each of the planet's many government led countries fed them.

Poverty, which had been almost nonexistent on Earth with how well regulated it was, had shot up exponentially. People slowly began to starve. They began to become desperate. They began to lose hope.

The fall of Reach only hastened the slow deterioration of Earth's resources. Earth was facing the problem of overpopulation after so long, and when Regret came to Earth, just about everyone believed that humanity was finished, only capable of giving their alien aggressors one hell of a fight before they died.

Luckily for us, Regret didn't bring the armada we originally believed would arrive to our doorstep to finish us off. Not to say that we didn't have to fight tooth and nail for every inch on the battlefield when he did come.

Unfortunately, those who weren't aware of the situation, such as the refugee's and those native to Earth, and like a dam that had gave way, violence and panic busted its way throughout the cities and towns.

But if I'm going to be honest, I couldn't find it within myself to care all that much. All that was in the past, and it was now fixed. People, once separated due to triggering survival instincts in the face of extinction, were brought together once more under one banner.

Humanity was recolonizing once more, trying to salvage old glassed worlds in the inner and outer colonies. Agriculture and natural resources were being restocked and renewed. Humanity's alliance with the Sanghelli allowed them access to better technology, better weapons for both offensive and defensive purposes.

After the most horrible and cruel war humanity had endured, they began thriving once more. Peace was what they were trying to embrace now, almost a decade later. Gone were the times of hardship and strife they endured. Of course, there were still some setbacks, Insurrectionists running amok in the outer most colonies, Covenant loyalists trying to cause more grief and suffering throughout the galaxy. There were still very real threats to the peace humanity was trying to achieve, no doubt more sacrifices will need to be made, but nothing to the extent that occurred during the war.

The Spartan-IV program was growing every single day, better technologies and training being given to the new operators of a new generation. With this new army of super soldiers, humanity no longer needed the Spartan-II's to serve and defend them.

They no longer needed me.

I guess I still had a hard time wrapping my head around the concept, almost as if I would wake up one day and they'll need me once more.

… Am I bad person for wanting to be needed again? After all, the only good thing I'm useful for is fighting wars and killing, and both cause others to suffer…

…I wonder…

A knock at my door ripped me from my thoughts, and I quickly got up from my desk to answer it.

It was Halsey.

"Ma'am?"

She raised an eyebrow, before taking a look around my body into my room. "Well, I see you haven't started packing yet, so I imagine they hadn't told you the news yet."

I blinked when she walked into my room, brushing slightly against me as she did. Closing the door, I watched as she gave the room an idle glance. "What news are you talking about?"

"Oh just you passing their screening tests, you'll get to leave Teito Tower and get your own place instead of staying here. Then again, they have always been the sort of complacent sort to leave things for last minute."

I nodded. "So when am I supposed to leave?"

"Tonight."

I raised a brow. "So soon?"

"Why so surprised John? Starting to get comfortable with these arrangements?"

"Not really. Just curious." I cocked my head at her. "But that doesn't explain why you're here ma'am." MBI would've sent an escort for me if they needed me to move soon. Not one of their scientists.

Halsey was silent, before I noticed she was fidgeting slightly, and that's when I realized two things.

One. That she hasn't looked at me once after entering my room, which was odd of her.

Two. She had an unsure look on her face, her blue eyes flickering around with a hesitance I've never seen on her before.

I blinked when Halsey suddenly thrusted her hand towards me, a pair of sleek glasses in it.

My eyebrow twitched in confusion. "Ma'am?" She was really acting odd here.

"Take them John." She tried to smile at me, but it came off too crooked and unnatural.

I took them tentatively, confused. "But I don't need glasses. My vision isn't impaired."

"Just… try them on John."

I furrowed my brow as she continued to act almost… awkwardly. This wasn't the self-confident and assured scientist I knew growing up. Too skittish. Had being under MBI changed her? When was the last time she really saw anyone she's trusted?

I put the spectacles on, the frame fitting comfortably on the bridge of my nose.

"Now, state your name. Just your first one."

"John." To my astonishment, a fluttering flash of light erupted in my vision, followed by projected words quickly scrolling by on the lenses.

…_Voice Recognition… Complete…_

…_Scanning Retinals… Complete…_

…_Scanning Brain Pattern… Complete…_

…_Connecting to Neural Interface…_

…_Configuration Set Up… Complete…_

…_Welcome. John…_

A complete heads up display appeared before my eyes. It wasn't much though, just a vitality bar appearing in the upper right of my vision. Still, I was astonished.

"This is…" I turned to Halsey, who now sported a smirk on her face. "How?"

"Tinkered with it during my free time after I lost my original pair on Reach. You'd be surprised how much people are willing to let slip as long as you don't give them a hard time."

"But why give them to me?" If they were meant to replace her original pair… then why?

"While it wasn't up to the original's specs, I was just trying to see what I can incorporate into this pair. Polarization works just fine. While I couldn't integrate a motion tracker or targeting reticule, I was able to put in a VISR system. You can also track data and display tactical information like maps of the city. There is also a micro AI I was able to put into the software that's can connect to your neural interface; it's basic function will be to assist in keeping up with your brain functions by displaying what you need with a simple thought. You can also connect it to Waypoint and access any information you may need on the dime, but the connection is shoddy at best, as I wasn't able to work out the last of the bugs, but it's not really meant for combat use."

She shrugged. "While I was able to incorporate several systems, they're not the ones that are up to my preferences. I was going to originally throw them out, but then you turned up and…" She paused.

"It's a gift John. From me to you."

"I…" I… wasn't completely sure how to feel, but I do know I was grateful. For her to give me such an amazing pair of gear to use, it was almost like being in my armor again.

_Almost…_ "Thank you ma'am." I said with as much sincerity I could possibly muster.

Halsey smiled as I marveled at the spectacles. "Your welcome John. They're more meant to assist you for everyday life compared to your MLOJNIR system's HUD, which was more combat oriented, so it's not as expansive. Just make sure to maintain them properly."

I nodded, still appreciating the complexity of the glasses on my face. A gift huh? I don't remember the last time I got one of those.

She shifted something else on her side, grabbing my attention. "What's that?"

"Oh this?" Halsey revealed the object. A chess set. "Thought we could play a game or two for old times sake. It's been a while since we've played."

It's been decades, actually.

She gave me a curious look. "Unless your too busy of course."

I shook my head. I would never be to busy for her. "It'll only take me a minute to pack up. I'll be done by the time you set up the game." The fact that I didn't have much to pack helped a lot too.

She smiled and sat by the coffee table, setting up the board as I began to pack the few things I had out, which wasn't much. As I was still dressed, I left out a jacket for when it was time to go. I had to glance over my shoulder when I packed away my sidearm into my bag though, not wanting her to find out that I was armed. Halsey didn't notice, fully focused on placing the pieces on the board.

I zipped up my duffle bag, placing it to the side as I grabbed my tablet and notes and placed them inside my backpack and zipped it up. I placed it to the side and stood up, only to blink when the sound of a piano entered my ears.

I looked over, I saw Halsey put down a phone, must've been a personal one, before glancing at me. "Sound familiar?"

I frowned, thinking it over, Halsey always did love to listen to classical music, even playing it a few times for us when we were children. I listened to it carefully, since music wasn't my forte, and took a guess after mulling over it after a while. "Beethoven?"

The small smile on her face told me I guessed correctly. "Piano Sonata Number 29 in B-Flat Major to be exact."

I nodded with a small shrug; I would've never have guessed the song name. I grabbed a chair and sat across from her, the board between us on top the coffee table. I took of the glasses and placed them to the side, almost immediately missing the HUD and wealth and information I could no longer see.

"So what's the occasion?" I wondered. We hadn't played in a long time, mostly because she often became upset when I or one of the other Spartan's continued to win. Turns out she's a pretty sore loser.

Wasn't as bad as the time when she got mad playing 20 Questions with us though.

"I needed time away from work. Any longer in my office and I'll start becoming claustrophobic." She sighed explosively. "After being basically imprisoned here for the past couple of years to work on their inane projects, I'll blow a gasket if they try to get upset with me trying to spend some time with one of my Spartans."

"How's that going? You're work."

"It's horribly dull." She looked frustrated. "Life is too short John. I will never learn all that exists in our tiny galaxy much less the universe here. And I desperately want to know…" She gestured around the room. "Instead I get to live in a prison, a finely furnished one of course, but still a prison nonetheless." She crossed her legs. "I imagine you've been told the why I'm in this situation at least?"

"I've heard the reasons."

She smiled wryly at me. "At least your honest with me. Most of the people here like to pretend otherwise."

I cocked my head. "Have they caused you any problems?"

She waved dismissively. "Just people that struggle to keep up and get mad at me when they can't. Seems like I'm a pretty convenient scapegoat nowadays. But aside from being watched almost all of my waking moments, it's nothing I'm not used to already."

I nodded. "I suppose Karasuba is the one guarding you then?"

"You figured correctly." She stared at me curiously. "I'd imagine you know what that means then?"

It was something I did think was in the realm of possibility, but I didn't want to accept. I didn't like it, nor did I want to, but she was right. "It means ONI is aware of what's going on here then."

Halsey smiled slightly. "Now you know why I don't want you part of this John. This is something bigger than you and me, and you have the chance to walk away and try and live your life."

I furrowed my brows, thinking about my team. "Do you know if the rest know about this?"

She caught on to my train of thought. "Hm. No, last time I saw them here two years ago they were still in the initial phase you just completed. They didn't look any the wiser of what was going on. Then again, Yume and Karasuba didn't show any sort of interest in them like they did you."

I snorted. "So I'm special huh?"

She gave me an amused stare, and I almost looked away when the look reminded me so much of Cortana. God, they really did look alike. "That. Or maybe you're just lucky." There was a bit of mirth in her voice too.

I sighed, not taking the bait; she knew how much I hated it when others said that. Besides, being part of anything with ONI's name on it was a quick way to get on their bad side, and after dealing with Serin, I felt like it might be in my best interest not to get involved in one of their projects.

Though it just begged an even bigger question: What were ONI and MBI after? What were they going to do with these aliens? Did that VA organization have part in it too? Or was it innocent?

Halsey clapping her hands brought me from my thoughts. "Well, lets get started then. It's been ages since I last played with someone who didn't give me a headache. Who knows, I might finally end your win streak?"

My lips twitched as I shook my head slightly. She was the one who made us figure out how to beat her in just about every game we played. It wasn't our fault that we became the best at winning.

Halsey started, moving a black pawn up one. "So, how are you adjusting John?"

I moved a white pawn. "Fine." She moved another pawn. "It'll be better when I finally get out of here. It's starting to feel like a prison." Especially with all the eyes I felt on my person everywhere I went. Maybe I should get a trench coat, or something with a hood, just something to cover my face and body from others.

I missed my armor.

I moved another pawn. "It'll be good, for you to start getting out there. See the world for yourself." She moved a knight piece. "You have your entire life in front of you now. I hope you understand that John."

I moved my first pawn again. "Maybe. It's all so different though. The people here, they're…. loud."

Halsey nodded sagely, taking her time with her next move, her eyes analyzing the board in front of her. "Of course, they all come from various backgrounds compared to you. They had parents, they had a childhood, they made friends and grew up loved and cared for John." She moved another pawn. "Because of their environment they grow up undisciplined, even immature at times. There will be people like that regardless where you go."

I nodded, moving a pawn. "I'll figure it out. It'll just take some time for me to get used to it." At least until I was done and reunited with my team again.

Halsey moved, replacing my pawn with her knight. "Just try to give other people a chance. Don't throw away your new opportunity to live a better life than you had." I moved my bishop, replacing her knight. "I know it might be difficult for you to understand, but life has a way of going by us when we're not looking. Don't let it go by you."

I glanced at her face, which seemed to hold a modicum of regret on it, but didn't press, instead letting her take my pawn with her bishop. I moved my knight, taking the bishop. "It'll be nothing I can't handle ma'am."

She moved her other knight. "Just… promise me you'll at least try to open up if you have the opportunity to." she said quietly. I looked at her face now, she still didn't meet my eyes. "That's all I'm going to ask before you head out today."

I looked towards the board again, thinking for a few seconds as I studied it. I knew there was more than she was letting on. Something personal she was venting about. She normally didn't act like this. Then again, it could've been the war ending that caused her to behave this way. Maybe a guilty conscious of what she did to us? It may have been the imprisonment and lack of people she could rely on.

It could've been a number of reasons, but my answer obviously mattered to her.

I sighed, before I nodded. "I promise to _try._" I ended, straining the end. I was not normal. I knew that. I've been a soldier all my life. Fighting is all I really knew. Interpersonal relationships with people I already didn't know was hard for me, as most of the times those opportunities came, it would be in the battlefield.

And with how most of them ended up, I had to repress any form of emotional attachment to those under me, as I couldn't allow the possibility of compromising myself in the event they fell under my command.

The image of a strong, no-nonsense soldier who always smoke a cigar, and a smart and humorous AI came to mind. My most recent failures.

It was always a rough patch to go through, one that can easily consume you if you allow it to.

Staying detached soon became a habit for me to do. Always staying focused on the mission and how to accomplish it. Remorse was unnecessary. Fear was noted and left behind. So, doing the opposite of what I've been doing for almost thirty-four years will not be an easy task.

That habit has served me well throughout the war, but in return, it crippled my ability to communicate and empathize with others. That I will admit.

'…_So smile, would ya?! While we still got something to smile about!'_

'_Don't let yourself become the machine they tried to break you to__._'

…But when asked so earnestly, I suppose I could try…

Keyword being _try._

Halsey smiled, a small, genuine thing. "That's all I ask of you John. Thank you."

I nodded, before finishing the game. "Checkmate."

She blinked, bewildered, before she looked down at the board. My bishop and knight had her king cornered, her queen blocking any route to escape.

Her brows furrowed. "Tch…" She scowled, before looking back up at me, a determined glint in her eye. "Again." She declared.

I nodded. I was always up for a good challenge.

* * *

Karasuba, the Black Sekirei, and Yume, the Sekirei of Fate, watched from a nearby rooftop as John Stark entered the car with his escort; an MBI clerk named Natsuo Ichinomi.

"So you're just gonna let him go? I thought you were interested in the Ojii-san?" Karasuba asked curiously as the car roared to life and pulled out of the parking lot, making its way down the road.

Yume remained silent, watching as the car began to become smaller and smaller as the distance between them increased, until it was gone with one turn. "John-san is a remarkable man who will lead many birds towards him, but it's not my place to find that happiness with him."

Karasuba grimaced, looking uncomfortable. "Yume…"

"I can only guide those who have that chance to have that bond with their destined Ashikabi. As both the Sekirei of Fate, and a scrapped number." She then hummed thoughtfully. "In fact," She turned towards Karasuba. "I'm a little surprised that you won't be joining him. I did realize you began reacting to him, this is your chance to attain more power to defeat me as well as find love along the way."

"Heh, not going to happen. If I'm going to beat you Yume, it will be through my own strength. I don't need a human for that nor for your 'love'." Karasuba spat the last word like it was poison on her tongue, a sneer on her face.

"So you still don't believe in the strength and abilities of humanity? Even though the Covenant were defeated by them?"

"Normal humans aren't anything special. They soft, weak beings useful as nothing more but fodder, but I do respect their tenacity against powerful enemies. It's the stronger ones I'm more interested in." An almost excited grin crossed her face. "These 'Spartans' are what fascinate me, and not the newest generation either. I'm talking the one those Covenant bastards called 'Demons'. The Spartan-II's."

Yume hummed curiously. "I thought they were all retired?"

"Yeah, over some dumb politics or whatever. Tch. A waste is what I call it. Why should strong warriors bow down to those weaker than them? It never makes any sense to me. The strong should do what they want, especially if it's to protect the weak."

"And if they don't want to?"

"Then they'll die. They'll be nothing more but a liability by then, so why should they be allowed to live?"

"…I see your rationality about human life has changed for the better with time, but it still needs some work." Yume ignored the scowl on the silver haired woman's face. "I'm beginning to become afraid you'll understand the value humanity has when its too late for you if you keep going like this."

Karasuba just rolled her eyes with a small snicker. "Heh. Right. I see the value of the few, not the many. I know you believe that everyone should get the chance, but they're all too pathetically weak."

"Humanities value is not in the individual, but as a whole Karasuba. They are at their strongest when they are together, never alone."

"Right, which is why the did so well fighting the Covenant together right?" She smiled coldly when Yume's smile finally lessened. "It was the actions of the strong few that gave them a chance at surviving. The best they had to offer are either dead or can't participate in the upcoming games. All that's left is the vermin who continue to thrive through their sacrifice, never able to understand that one person who died for them is worth a mountain of them."

Yume gave her a curious look. "It sounds like you have someone in mind when you keep bringing up the strong few. Did you see someone more interesting than your Ashikabi?"

"The Ojii-san is interesting, sure. Surprisingly brave and quick, did cause my heart to beat a bit harder, I'll admit." To Yume's slight astonishment, a slight wistful look passed the silver Sekirei's eyes, before it filled with bloodlust once more. "What I'm more interested in is what they found recently, I'm sure you know where I'm going with this."

Yume blinked a few times, before rubbing the side of her head sheepishly. "Ah, sorry. I don't really watch tv much? What are you talking about?"

Karasuba blinked slowly. "You're kidding right? It's been going on in just about every media outlet in Japan." She sighed when Yume's sheepish look remained. She laughed a little, shaking her head. "I forgot how slow you are sometimes when you act so much older."

Yume pouted a bit. "Hey now. I used to be bad back then but that doesn't mean you can make fun of me! At least I understand what 'decency' is now!"

Karasuba rubbed her chin thoughtfully, the images of a naked and innocent Yume flashing a group of scientists going through her mind. "Now that you mention it, you _were _pretty bad back then with that and 'common sense'. The only ones I could think of that were that silly is Musubi-chan and No Panties-chan."

"Karasuba!" Yume pouted harder at her senior Sekirei's teasing. Any semblance of composure she once had was gone.

The silver haired alien laughed away her annoyance with a wave of her hand. "My bad, my bad." She apologized, her tone lacking a note of sincerity. "You make it too easy for me sometimes."

The Sekirei of Fate waited until her friends chuckles finally died down. "So, what _did_ humanity find that has you so interested?" She really did hope, for Karasuba's sake, that it didn't involve her vice of fighting strong opponents.

The deranged smile she found quickly dashed away those hopes. "Something quite amazing. They supposedly found the strongest human of the war. The reason why all _this_," She gestured towards the metropolitan in front of them. "Even still exists." She turned towards her friend, wide smile still on her face. "The Master Chief is back." She _giggled_, as if she were a giddy schoolgirl talking about her crush.

It actually disturbed Yume enough to wipe the smile on her face, but she continued to keep an open mind, giving her a curious look instead. "You sound happy that he's back?"

"Of course I am! I can finally get the opportunity to fight _The _Demon! The one the Covenant feared the most! The one man who slaughtered and clawed his way through a mountain of bodies of his enemies to give humanity another day to live." Karasuba shivered in excitement. "I would love to fight and defeat a person like that."

'_Wouldn't he be retired though? Like the rest of the Spartan-II's?' _Yume raised a brow, not really getting it. "I suppose? It would be interesting to fight someone like that though. You think they could keep up with us?"

Karasuba's wide smile lessened into her small, genial one. "It's not too much about him keeping up as having the opportunity to fight him. He has one of the highest kill counts in the entire UNSC, shown to be able to turn the tables on his enemies when cornered, and there are several clips on Waypoint of him killing each alien species that were part of the Covenant in hand to hand combat! He's proven to be the best humanity has to offer, a complete killing machine through and through! It would be great to fight someone like that!"

"Sounds like someone's a fan~." The Sekirei of Fate teased, giggling at her enthusiasm. It made her happy to see her friend so into someone else. "It excited you that much to see someone that strong alive huh?"

That caused the silver haired woman to grimace a bit when she realized how she sounded, a small blush on her face. "I-its not like that! I only wondered about who was the strongest of the Spartan-II's since they're the best humanity has to offer! He came up, but he was missing in action for the longest time." She sighed. "Besides, I still have to participate in this game and defeat you before I can fight him. I can't be too greedy now. But," She cupped her chin. "If things were to get out of control and he deploys here, I'm calling dibs."

"Of course, of course." Yume laughed, lacing her hands behind her as she looked towards the city once more. "But if not, remember you still have to defeat me, and I already told you how to."

"Tch. Enough with that love crap now. If I really need to use that Ojii-san as my Ashikabi to beat you I will so you can shut up about it, but don't think we'll get all lovey-dovey or whatever."

"I just want you to experience the chance to be happy is all." Yume said softly. "Is that so wrong?"

"…." Karasuba grimaced, glancing away at her.

"You'll be leaving the disciplinary squad soon to participate in the Sekirei Plan to defeat me. Which means you'll be alone out there without a companion." The brunette gave the older woman a sad look. "I don't want you to get hurt or lonely out there, is it so wrong for you to love another?"

"…. It's not fair when you do stuff like that." Karasuba sighed, rubbing the back of her neck as the bags on her eyes seemed to get deeper. "I'm a little messed up ok? I know that, but I don't want to change. I like the way I am, but it seems like I'm considered a disgusting monster for doing so by everyone else. Who knows? Maybe I am." She shrugged. "Maybe I got the short end of the stick when I was created. Maybe I _am_ a monster that needs to be killed. If I die doing what I love at least, I can die satisfied."

Her hand fell on the pommel of her sword. She ignored the pained expression on her friend's face. "At least I hope I can. Again, I'm not a normal Sekirei, I'm more likely to kill my destined Ashikabi then love him. Heh," She shook her head, chuckling hollowly. "_That_ would be a pretty shitty way to go out though."

"Karasuba…" Yume could only clench her chest at the lonely Sekirei.

"Maa~ Maa~." Karasuba sighed, waving a hand. "Let's drop this depressing stuff, it's making me all stabby now." She rolled her eyes at the tearful look the younger woman's face. "Geez, fine, I'll _try_ to get along with him if he wings me. Happy now?" She growled.

Yume sniffed, holding out a pinky finger. "Promise?"

"You're such a child." The silver haired alien huffed, but still laced their pinkies together. "Fine, fine, but it'll be _if_ I even choose to let him wing me. Got it?" She snapped; the brunette just beamed at her as they let go.

"Of course! Love always finds a way!" The Black Sekirei rolled her eyes at that; always _love this_ and _love that_ with this one.

"Either way, you're going down Yume. I'll beat you during this game, so make sure to survive until we fight again."

"Hm!" the Sekirei of Fate nodded happily, and they looked over into the city lights, enjoying each other's company, as it wouldn't last much longer.

In less than a few days, they'll be enemies, with the sole goal of destroying each other. One would fall. The other would remain standing.

To reach an Age of the Gods in a sick, twisted game, all to satisfy the wants a crazed CEO with too much time on his hands.

All one hundred and nine of them will compete. All of them will fight. And fight, and fight. Until there was only one of their kind still standing tall with their Ashikabi by their side.

But until that time comes….

"I still think the Master Chief can kick your butt though."

"Fat chance. I'll cut him up before he gets the chance."

"…I thought the point was to defeat him. Not kill him."

"Semantics."

"….."

They'll enjoy the moments of peace they'll have left. As friends.

* * *

I held in my sneeze, my ears popping from my actions and leaving my throat tingling.

"Bless you Stark-san." A young man with brown hair and an elaborate suit, Natsuo Ichinomi, said politely as he drove.

I blinked a few times, the dots in my vision going away. "Yeah. Thanks." I murmured, fixing my glasses on the bridge of my nose.

"It's no problem." He perked up as he made a right on the street and drove us next to a large building complex. "Here we are Stark-san, your new home. Here are your keys along with your room you'll be staying in, along with an MBI card for your own use for personal accommodates. MBI has talked with the landlord of the complex, so don't worry about any form of payments, as they'll be covered by us for the duration of your stay." I took the keys, paper, and black card, before jamming them into my jacket pocket.

He continued. "Now, you'll be expected to arrive on time to your appointments, so don't be late, but do call ahead of time if your unable to make it. There are several transportation services available in this area for you if you feel the need to require one in order to make it, but we'll be entrusting you the responsibility to show up."

He smiled at my nod. "Good, but if you do need help." He gave me a card with his number on it. A business. "Please, do not hesitate to call if you need assistance." He gave me an intense stare as he finished.

I nodded; a bit confused, and uncomfortable. "Thank you, Ichinose-san. I'll be sure to take you up on your offer if I need it." He flashed me one more smile as I climbed out the vehicle with my bags in hand, the cold wind biting against my skin as I left the heat that was inside the car. He gave a small wave as he drove off. I watched him until he turned the corner, exhaling and watching my breath mist over. I held back a shiver as another cold chill bit through my skin, turning around and looking up at the tall building, which had to be over fifteen stories tall.

I glanced at the paper. _343._ That was my room. I glanced up again, before beginning my trek up to my room. Turns out that the building had a more exterior design, not to mention no elevators, which made my climb up a slightly long, if not cold one. I immediately jammed the key into the lock, unlocking it and going inside the dark room. Immediately the air became warmer, and I felt the snow on my head melt and drip onto my neck as my body began to warm up.

I turned on the light, and an empty room welcomed me. I kicked off my shoes, leaving them at the entrance as I dropped my bags. While it was smaller and not as fancy or furnished as the one I had received in Teito Tower, it was better than the barracks rooms I was used to. Like the previous room, it contained a kitchen, living room, bedroom, toilet, and bathroom, along with a few closets for storage. Interestingly enough, it also had a washer and dryer, an empty refrigerator, along with a packaged futon in the bedroom.

It was bare, but I found that I quite liked it that way, as I wasn't one who was materialistic.

Hm. There was a saying that the Japanese said whenever they went to a place they owned.

Ah, right.

"Tadaima." _I'm home._ It felt foreign on my tongue as I said it. Silence answered my call.

Either way, this was still the first place that I could call my very own.

My first true step into my new life.


	7. Feather 7

_**On an Eagles Wings**_

_**((Authors Note:**_

_**I got a second chapter out in one month, hell ya.**_

_**Thing is, I'm gonna have to update In the Shadow Of Gods next, just for a chapter, maybe two if I'm feeling generous.**_

_**And one thing, this is important. It's come to my attention about the whole UEG and the existence of Earth's National Governments. There seems to be multiple interpretations about this, saying that there may or may not be any from of National government, only the UEG who presides above all. I dug through the lore, and the UEG is the main government for those in USNC controlled space, but they still have a National governments on Earth, like how there's federal, and then state governments. The National one's still exist, and still have power, but its less than our current ones, and answer directly to the UEG. There are also colonial governments that the UEG puts into colonized planets so they can preside over them, assisting in enforcing the rules and regulations they have.**_

_**Unfortunately, there isn't much lore around this, not even in the expanded material. So if there is anyone who could find more into this, then please let me know, even though the government isn't going to play any type of major role going through this story, I do want to keep you guys fully immersed into the world I'm creating.**_

_**Funny, instead of expanding the main infrastructure of how humanity rules and works with itself, those up top are instead pushing for more Forerunner lore instead. Dang it, we need an Insurrectionist Halo Game.**_

_**((SPOILERS)) Skip if you don't want any.**_

_**Here we are folks, the last chapter before things begin to really kick off for our old gun. **_

_**John: Writing this chapter made me realize that, given his upbringing, he really shouldn't know that much about mundane civilian activities. Things like shopping and looking for groceries, things we do without much thought into like breathing, would be a whole new experience with this guy. And now he's beginning to realize that things really aren't what they seemed anymore, or he can't ignore it any longer. Our ol' joe just can't get a break now, can't he?**_

_**The dude just wants to get out of incognito mode and bust some chops man.**_

_**And with the part with the punk, while he did hurt him, I believe John and the Spartans sense of right and wrong may be a bit skewed. I say this because while he dislikes killing fellow humans, he has shown little to no problem maiming and crippling the hell out of them, even when he was younger. Just look at his MJOLNIR Mark-V test, dude basically knee-capped the hell out of everyone before moving on. **_

_**Miya: The strongest Sekirei of them all, I had originally planned for her to come in later in the story, but I thought it would be a little entertaining to throw her in now, given some people's excitement of her.**_

_**MBI: The way the story is progressing is mostly because the type of world Halo is setup to be, especially the additions Hunt The Truth tried (and failed) to incorporate. We're always fighting the aliens as Master Chief, but now the threat is at our doorstep once more, and even worse, its humanity itself. When making this story, I realized that I can't follow the same formula most modern day Sekirei stories follow. Government conspiracies, traitors, terrorists, and crimes against basic human rights, this is the world Halo has set up following the end of the war that it unfortunately doesn't follow. I may be trying to do too much, maybe, but I'm so excited to show you all what I have planned.**_

_**Minaka: The insane super-genius that started the entire fiasco with the Sekirei in the first place. He may not be as crazy or bombastic as most stories have him, but I feel that's because they rarely show the 'genius' part, and immediately go to the 'crazy, insane' part of his personality. I want to do what I can to show both.**_

_**Also, credits are weird. You can but a freaking grenade with only 30 of them according to lore.**_

_**As always, please read and review. And know I'm usually available through PM if you wish to discuss anything!))**_

_**Feather Seven**_

The morning after moving in had quickly brought me to the cold reality of being a civilian. Aside from the apartment, I had nothing, no food, no water, and no extra essentials to make living comfortable.

My growling stomach reminded me once more of that reality. No more cafeteria's, no more meals provided at a set time. I had to acquire such things myself from now on.

There didn't seem to be any wilderness for miles and going to the ocean to look for fish or calamary seemed like too much effort.

Then I realized I didn't know what civilians did to acquire food and amenities.

So, I made a video call to my team.

"Shopping?" I muttered, confused.

Fred nodded sagely from the screen. "Yeah, that's what civilians do there. They go to a building full of stuff like furniture and food. Just grab what you need and then purchase them at a register so you can have ownership of the items you need."

"So it's like a trade then? An exchange? And these stores have everything you need?"

"Yeah, that's the gist of it. But not all of them have what you need, some only specifically sell clothes, or sell shoes, or even specialty underwear for women."

I cocked an eyebrow. Specialty underwear? What could be so special about underwear? I shook my head; the logic civilians had for day to day life being lost on me. "So how would I know which one to go to?"

"There's maps you can use on your phone that are connected, or you can approach one of the city terminals and talk with the city's Superintendent AI to keep you on track or show you where to go."

I raised a brow, I never interacted much with Urban Infrastructure AI, another form of 'dumb' AI, as all they ever did was preform basic tasks within the city, like running assembly line factories, steering a city's garbage truck, and operating traffic lights. They also could oversee infrastructure departments such as the Department of Health and Human Services, Housing, Public Safety, Recreation, and Utilities and Transportation.

They also had complete maps of an area, even the more private sectors that aren't meant for the general public, so they often were handy for urban warfare.

Unfortunately, due to Cole Protocol being enacted or just the Covenant attacking in the right area, they were often destroyed before we could attempt to work with them or recover them for information. It was rare when I found the opportunity to get to talk to one. Not like I was expecting much information I couldn't find on my own, as the gap between 'Smart' and 'Dumb' AI was quite large, as they weren't as adaptive as the former and couldn't learn anything outside their specialized role.

But it did make some sense that they had one here, as Superintendent-class AI's were primarily used for tether cities that had a space elevator, which Japan had, out in Okinawa. Though it was a little odd that it would reach all the way down here into Shinto Tokyo.

I nodded to Fred. "I'll keep that in mind, any suggestions on what I should buy?"

The camera suddenly shook, and instead of Fred, I saw Kelly and Linda, who gave me serious looks.

"Rice cooker." Linda said.

"Ramen." Ordered Kelly.

"Rice."

"Cookies."

"Pocky."

"Sweet bean paste."

"Chips."

"Dorayaki."

"Takenoko no Sato."

"Mochi."

"Taiyaki."

"Cre-."

"Wait, wait." I said a bit rushed, and utterly confused. "Slow down, I don't even know what those are."

"They're best damn things you'll ever have there." Linda, surprisingly, said, her reserved nature gone as she talked about the foods I should get.

"You haven't lived until you try these things John." Agreed Kelly sagely. Linda nodded besides her.

I just gave them odd looks. I knew civilian food tasted better than military food, but I didn't get why they were taking this so seriously. It couldn't be that good.

The camera shook again, and a loud grunt sounded out that suspiciously sounded like Kelly, before a slightly agitated Fred showed up again.

He shook his head. "Don't listen to those two. Listen, your gonna need some silverware, plates…"

I nodded, quickly jotting down notes into my phone as I listened to his recommendations about appliances, toiletries, and foodstuff.

When all was said and done, I repeated to him what I had, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Though…

"None of the stuff Kelly and Linda said to get are here though." I wondered out loud.

Fred snorted over the line, a look of disdain on his face. "Trust me John, you don't need those things. They're nothing but highly processed food with too much carbs and sugars in them. Nothing good in them except for making you fat." He gave me a lidded look. "Which is exactly is what happened to those two. You know they almost had to stay even longer during our stay because of it?" They approached him and I held back a grimace as I saw the cold looks on their faces.

Fred, unaware of his impending demise, shook his head. "I'm telling you brother, they could barely fit into the tech suits, and when they did, they started complaining on how hard it was to breath- Urk. " He cut off with a strangled gasp as Kelly wrapped an arm around his throat and squeezed, a tight smile on her face.

"I remember you also having the same issue Fred. Don't forget that part." She hissed into his ear.

Fred responded with a breathless gasp as his hand went up to pull her arm off of him. The screen began to shake as the sounds of him struggling was heard. The screen went black, and several loud thuds rang out, before Linda's face suddenly appeared on it.

She gave me a calm smile, a simple twitch of the lips. "Ignore what he said, but do get those things for your stay. Stay in contact John. We like hearing from you after so long, alright?"

I nodded blankly, trying my best to ignore of what sounded like attempted fratricide in the background. "Roger that. I'll keep you guys informed on how I do. Stay safe."

"You too boss."

_/Connection Ended/_

I pocketed my phone, sighing as I sat back against the wall I was propped against, my vacant room offering little else in seating.

That… was something. Even when living with them for that short time, they were rather quiet, showing that they were mostly the same, even with the assimilation into the civilian world. Every now and then though… they showed a rather… animated side of themselves that took me off guard all the time. We only needed small gestures when we interacted, a subtle shift of the hips, the slight straightening of one's back, these little things were how we communicated with each other. It was our body language, noticeable only to us, as to normal humans, aside from Halsey, we were almost statues with how rigid we were.

To see so much emotion in a single action; from a Spartan no less… it was unsettling.

It also reminded me on how much had changed since I've been gone. How much I've missed…

I sat there quietly for a few moments, before getting on my feet with a small sigh. I picked up my glasses, the heads up display soothing slightly me with its familiarity.

I quickly gathered my things for the day, before throwing my shoes on and cap on before walking outside. The cold air rushed into my lungs, stinging in its briskness. The sun was barely rising, there was also a lack of snow falling from the sky that had been going on from the past few days.

I turned around, my keys jingling as I locked my door, securing my room.

"Uuuurrrgghh." I turned when I heard the groan, finding a well-dressed young man with blond hair slumped by the nearby staircase. He looked horrible, with a flushed face and vomit staining his white slacks as he lolled back and forth.

"Sheeempai." He moaned, words slurring. "Wheeeeere *hic* aree yoooou."

As I walked to the staircase, I was half tempted to ignore him, but decided to check on the kid. It was still cold after all, cold enough for me to visibly see my breath, and he looked like he's been out here for a while, given how bad he was shivering.

"Hey." I muttered lowly when I got close. "You alright?"

He looked at me, eyes fluttering. "Whosh you? Whersh shempai?" He donned a look of annoyance. "Leave meh alone ojii-san, w-whersh you come from anyway?

I felt my eye twitch at being called 'old man' again. I exhaled. "I live here now. In room 343. Just moved in last night." I raised a brow when he started groaning, obviously not listening to me. I didn't have time for this. "Listen, I'm just wondering if you're alright or not. But if your fine…" I trailed off, beginning to walk down the stairs.

Another, long suffering groan made me stop in my tracks before I got far. I flexed my hands, debating on what to do, before sighing in resignation, my conscious getting the better of me. I walked back up the stairs to the young man, bent over, hooked my arms around his legs and back, and picked him up.

Felt light as a feather.

"Wha-?! Huh?!" The kids already flushed face flushed even deeper from his position. "Wh-whash you *hic* doin' Ojii-san?! Put meh down!"

Man, this kid was loud. "What's your room number." I snapped, breaking through his complaints as he stared at me dumbly.

"Uh- er- room 619. What's it *hic* to yoooou?"

I ignored him, beginning my trek up the stairs, his protests going unanswered as I made my way to his room.

"C-C'mon Ojii-san *hic* at leeash carry me d-differ-… differrrrr," he gave up on pronouncing the word, gesturing to himself. "Imma guy y'knowsh?"

I adjusted him with one hand, throwing him over my shoulder without a hitch in my step.

I heard him groan loudly, feeling him tense in my grip.

"That… may have been a bad ideash." I heard him burp. "I thinksh imma throw up…."

The thought of leaving him here and continuing on my way crossed my mind, it wouldn't be the worst thing I've done but…

Why was I doing this again? Oh yeah, conscious. Why did it have to bite me now of all times?

I began to run up the stairs as fast as I possibly could, hoping to make it before the kid blew chunks.

I almost threw him off the damn complex when he didn't.

* * *

Supermarkets. An important aspect of food production and distribution due to the interface between supply and demand. A large retailing business unit, selling mainly food and groceries on the basis of the low marginal gain. It contains a wide variety of goods and varied assortments, such as household products, and even technology.

Or at least that's what I read.

I stood in front of the entrance of one, staring blankly as civilians moved around me. I ignored their looks, trying to fight the feeling of intimidation that crept around my body. The sun rose high in the sky by now, its heat pressing against my back as I stood idle.

I breathed in and out, before trickling into the market, the double doors spreading open for me as I entered. I was ignorant in the policies and norms of what to do in a supermarket, I simply followed what I saw, grabbing a basket from nearby the entrance after a woman grabbed herself one, affixing it on my arm like she did.

As I walked, I finally realized just how _big_ the inside of the building was, especially when I saw all the fruits and vegetables on display in an orderly fashion. The smell of fresh produce and raw meat assaulting my nose as I took it all in.

People seemed to mill around, talking to one another or trying to get to another area. Children clenched tight to their parents, following them or being held by them as they walked around the store.

I swallowed before looking down at my notes on what Fred recommended me to purchase. It was simple enough. Some household supplies first, which was easy to arrive to, due to all the markers above the isles.

I had to admit, I was a little proud of myself when I made it with no hassles.

It wasn't like I never been in a supermarket before, they made excellent places for my teams and I to recoup and recover for a moment before going back out into the battlefield. The few small snacks and food items we were able to scavenge through the often-butchered remains of those who didn't make it giving us some extra needed nutrition to accomplish our tasks.

Then again, it could've been a grocery mart, or even those convenience stores I've heard of, as the buildings were often half demolished as well. So it was hard to accurately guess.

I furrowed my brow when I saw the shelves of products in front of me. Laundry soap? Hand soap? Dish soap?

Why were there so many different types? I thought soap was soap, a sort of 'one and done' type of deal.

Just to be safe though, I took one of each, getting the biggest size to make sure I wouldn't have to come back for more. I almost did the same with the shampoo and body wash, only to be surprised when they came in a two in one pack, immediately taking one, as I didn't know how much space was needed to get the essentials in one trip.

Getting a pot and pan was simple too, as I got the most manageable size I can get that seemed worthwhile, along with some silverware. Unfortunately, this supermarket was very big on chopsticks, spoons, and knives, the only forks I was able to get for everyday meals were colorful little plastic ones that were supposedly for children.

Beggars couldn't be choosers I suppose.

It wasn't until I got to the food section that that I hit my first hurdle. It was supposed to be simple, since I wasn't big on cooking, at all, and all I needed was several ingredients for something called tonkatsu and omurice, cereal, and milk.

Like the rest of the isles, I found the cereal and grain one easily enough, weaving past the crowds easily. It also helped those that noticed me quickly got out of my way.

I immediately felt myself slump when I began to look for cereal though.

_Why were there so many different types?_

I wasn't big on eating cereal, honestly. The last time I ate it was perhaps sometime during my childhood, but I don't quite remember. So to be suddenly surrounded with almost a hundred different brands, all advertising different tastes or nutritional facts about each individual one, it was actually a little intimidating.

Which one do I pick? Should I be looking for taste? Or nutritional value? Why were there several different brands that gave out the same flavored cereal? What was the difference?

Though as I browsed, there was one in particular I immediately turned away from as soon as I saw it.

'_Spartan O's! With enough nutrition in every bite for you to Finish the Fight!'_ The box said.

The fact that there was a cartoonish Spartan who wore MJOLNIR Mark-VI armor as the cover of the box, I deliberately ignored the number written on its chest, made me slightly embarrassed. Seriously, I could've gone without ever seeing such a thing.

Back to my situation though, _why _were there so many cereals in the first place? Are civilians so picky about food they must make almost a hundred different brands just to be happy?

I could feel myself getting annoyed, especially when I began to linger too long in the isle. Kids began to point me out to their parents, who took them to the side and far away from the me. Some wouldn't stop staring at me, the majority being females, especially when I leaned over or squatted down to look at the brands on the bottom, looking away with flushed faces when I caught their eye. Some just gave me odd looks at when they realized my struggle with picking a food that must be rather simple for them.

I dunno, but I do know that I soon gave up, just grabbing a random box from one of the shelves and tossing it to my basket and hurrying out of the isle. Away from all the eyes I was attracting.

I was used to them, had them all my life, but this was more than I was used to. The people here stared at me with almost unnerving intensity here, with an intent in them that I've never faced before.

It was enough to leave me perplexed.

Unfortunately, it seemed I took too long, as the supermarket seemed to become more packed as people trickled in at a more fevered pace. I looked around, becoming more and more antsy to just up and leave, as the concept of 'personal space' soon became lost with the other shoppers.

I sighed. Just need to get to the last couple of items on the list, and then I could leave, and get away from the crowd.

Easy enough right?

* * *

I stared at the items in front of me, completely befuddled.

Why did I get the feeling I jinxed myself?

I looked at my shopping list, blinking several times, before looking at the labels of the items I was looking at. For all my studying, I just couldn't recognize the kanji. When it came to common phrases and the like, I was able to pick up on it, but I didn't study for _grocery_ shopping.

I was beginning to wish that my glasses had a translator installed into it, but when I tried, it gave me an error message, saying the software has to be installed first.

I looked at the items in front of me again.

It was going to be a simple snatch and grab when I initially arrived, having grabbed eggs, meat, and condiments for the omurice and tonkatsu, as I was trying not to give it much thought at the variety. Swift and efficient, just the way I like it.

_Cabbage_. The list said, the final item on it. Simple, right? Admittingly, I don't really remember what cabbage was, but I think I knew what it looked like. All I remembered was that it looked leafy, and green. Then I got to the fresh produce section and saw the different types of the leafy substance instead, dashing any hope I had on a quick grab and go.

Even worse, they seemed to come in different forms, one being ball like, while the other was leafier, stem and all.

_What the hell?_

The struggle was almost enough to drain any remaining confidence I had.

I almost felt like something was mocking me now, trying to make what was a supposed to be a simple shopping trip, a horrible trial of my wits as I dealt with this new situation I now found myself in.

"Excuse me," I almost jumped when a soft, melodic voice called from my side. "Do you need any help?"

I didn't notice _it_.

Being raised on the battlefield, my ability to detect the slightest change in my surroundings had improved drastically to meet the demands for survival. Spatial awareness. It was why I noticed things like stares so strongly, the subtle shift in a gaze for example, in its intent, was what often triggered me to identify someone as a possible threat or not.

It worked on Yume and Karasuba, who simply had to walk into a room for me to notice them. They're abilities and strength from the subtle shifts in the way they stood instantly putting me on edge whenever they reached a certain distance.

But _it…. it _was able to easily slip under my guard and get within almost a foot of me, almost as if _it_ were taking a walk in the park.

_IT_, like its fellow species I've met so far, took the shape of a human female. _It_ was dressed in some type of white and purple robe. _Its _skirt fell to _its_ ankles, _its_ feet covered by thick two toed socks. _It _wore an apron, covering the entire front_ its _body while being secured in the back, falling just a bit below _its_ knees. _Its _light purple hair, the same shade as parts of her outfit, was drawn back into a high ponytail, a ribbon securing it and allowing the rest to fall down to _its_ lower back.

My heart was slamming painfully in my chest, causing my blood to roar in my ears as I identified a threat to my very being. _It _was even stronger than the last two. Colors began to become more vibrant, and I could feel time slowly dilate around me, as my body began to prepare for its final fight,_ because I wasn't sure if I could kill it, but I would at least try to wound it before-_

**WARNING: HEART RATE HAS ELEVATED TO ALARMING LEVELS, PLEASE LOWER**_._

A warning popup text came from my glasses, my vitals entering a red zone according to its scanners.

"Ah…" I blinked as I regained my senses, trying to keep my body still as it recycled the excess endorphins flowing through it.

It cocked its head at me curiously, auburn eyes staring into mine.

My hands trembled for a moment.

I exhaled from my nose, regaining control of myself once more.

I had to check my impulses. There was no enemy here. No fight to be fought.

Ignore it Spartan. Keep those impulses in check. You're not here to cause trouble. Not like the last two times. You're better than this.

I realized it was still waiting for my answer patiently. I ran my nails through my now sweaty palms.

"N-no, I'm fine." I almost cursed at my stutter. Damn it.

"Are you sure?" It kept its concerned look, its brows furrowed. I nodded my head in response. "So, what are you shopping for?"

I blinked, a little taken off tempo at the sudden question. "Err, ingredients."

"For what?"

"Food." I quickly clarified when I saw it quirk an eyebrow at the snarky response. "Something called tonkatsu, omurice, and stir-fry."

"Oh?" It glanced at my basket and brought a hand to its cheek. "That's interesting. Mind if I get the recipes from you? I've never heard of chicken being used for tonkatsu instead of pork."

I froze. "…Huh?"

She took a gander at the vegetables I was examining. "Hm. Nor have I heard of lettuce being used for stir-fry instead of cabbages."

"…?" I glanced at the leafy vegetables in front of me. "There's a difference?"

It blinked at me, bewildered by my ignorance. "…Yes." It said slowly. "And most of the recipes I know for tonkatsu involve mixing in sugar into the sauce. Is that the same recipe you're using?"

"…Yes?"

"Hm." She gave my cart a quick glance. "Then why do you have all that salt?"

"Oh…? Um…" I looked at it too, realizing that the bags of _sugar_ I thought I had were actually bags of salt. Seriously? How did I even mess up on that? Was I rushing this badly? "I-I'm not that good… with cooking…" I muttered under my breath, unable to look at it in the eye any longer. My ears burned hot as all of my errors were pointed out.

Man, shopping for food _sucked._

I felt thoroughly humiliated. To be fair though, I had barely touched solid food or even condiments for the past twenty years. MREs and rations had been my go-to foods for most of the war. Before I was rescued by the Infinity, the taste of food, much less what it contained, had been placed far back in my mind.

"It's fine." It smiled at me, before giving my shopping cart a little tug. "The first thing you may need to know is that you need to use pork cutlets for tonkatsu, but it's quite a simple dish. There is also a sale today for it in this store too…" It began, and I blinked, comprehension dawning on me. I hesitated for a moment, before following it from a respectable distance and listening to its advice. I already messed up and made a fool of myself after all, the only wrong thing to do was not learn from my mistakes.

Besides, aside from me almost suffering a panic attack in public when I noticed it, it wasn't hostile. At all. Though something told me that asking it why it was out in the public and possibly causing a scene would piss it off, which seemed detrimental for myself at the moment.

It was after a few minutes of listening when I realized I didn't even know who it was, aside from a very helpful alien stranger… thing.

"Err, I didn't quite catch your name ma'am."

It. _She,_ paused, before smiling. "It's Miya. Miya Asama. And yours?"

"…John Stark."

It took us almost two hours to fix all my mistakes, as after several more questions of my stock, she took my shopping list for herself when she realized that I just about messed up everything on my food pick up. It made me realized just how half-assed I was doing this errand, when she asked if I even knew how to make these dishes. Asama was very thorough and patient with her explanations, teaching me the importance of good foods on sale, how to figure out the freshness of produce, what appliances to assist me with cooking, and the like.

Slowly, I felt my embarrassment trickle away as I became more and more absorbed with her teachings. I almost felt like a child being taught by Deja back on Reach as I followed her and her words.

Soon, I had everything I needed, and was now following the alien around as it began to pick out the things it needed for its trip, listening to pearls of wisdom she had about cooking. It was almost odd, how such a fierce creature that could send my danger senses haywire could be so demure.

"…by then you'll want to throw in the rest of the sauce. Red wine, tomato puree, soy sauce, worcester sauce, a hint of dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, the cut fruits and vegetables, and lastly, the spices. When its all in the pan, just start stirring so it all mixes together, then just let it simmer until the vegetables are softened."

I nodded seriously, my data pad recording her words and transcribing it into my personal notes. She had only given me a small glance when I pulled it out but had continued her explanations without pause.

"After that, the tonkatsu sauce should be ready. It should be glossy and thick by then, which means you'll be ready to blend it into a sauce. You can take out the bay leaves, as they add a certain texture to the sauce if left inside."

I cocked my head, pausing at my notes. "Wouldn't it be dangerous to try and blend the sauce while its still hot? Won't all the pressure build up from the steam and cause it to explode?"

Asama smiled at me patiently. "You can wait until it reaches room temperature to start blending it, but if you're on a time crunch, you can start blending it right away." She tapped the box of the brand-new blender in my cart. "These little things have a removeable top piece so the steam can escape, but you'll have to start it slow, gradually building up the speed. It might start spilling from the top as you put more speed into it, so place a tea towel on top to prevent any messes while still allowing the steam to escape. Blend it until its texture is smooth and creamy without any chunks in it, so make sure that the consistency and the texture are good to go before putting it up." Her eyes crinkled happily. "Now you have homemade tonkatsu sauce."

"…I see then." I nodded, pushing my glasses up my nose in slight satisfaction as I concluded my notes on tonkatsu.

All that was left was to purchase my items.

"Ara~, why don't you look at the time. It seems I got too carried away, then again cooking has always been my favorite pastime." I took a glance at my watch, realizing it was only a bit past noon already. "Thank you for indulging me this entire time Stark-san, I hope I didn't inconvenience you with my hobby. But it seems like we should be heading out now since we have what we need, can't let the ingredients spoil."

I nodded, looking at my cart full of groceries and accessories for my home quietly. Helped by an alien creature my first day out huh?

Story of my life.

Still.

"Asama-san." She turned towards me curiously. I gave a small bow towards her, still a bit awkwardly in my movements. "Thank you for you assistance, with everything but… why did you help me?" Even if it was something she enjoyed doing, she gained nothing from doing so aside of wasting time from helping me. She had shown me the many intricacies that came with shopping for proper groceries. She walked with me every step of the way, basically holding my hand the entire time.

And I followed without complaint.

It unsettled me, a bit. I didn't trust these creatures one bit, the first one having manhandled me in order to comply, the second messing with me by faking a weapons draw…

And this one, who sent my instincts to overdrive, giving me an incredible impulse to kill her due to the sheer threat she possessed.

Had she taken advantage of my confusion? Maybe. My decades old instincts had told me not to trust her, nor the others I met.

But there was something… _deep _inside of me, that said my worries were unwarranted. That they weren't here to attempt to destroy humanity, with two of them hired to work under humans and the one here even _living_ amongst humans. They seemed to be attempting to assimilate into humanity, which would admittingly be easy for them given their appearances, if I wasn't as spatially aware of my surroundings, I would've passed them on as another human and been on my way.

But I did notice, through their presence they excluded, the ways they walked, how they looked, how they held themselves. So human, yet not.

Almost like a Spartan…

Asama smiled at me, a completely calm and satisfied smile. It was… pretty thing to look at.

"My husband was a man who taught me the value of helping others, and that you should never look away from lending someone a helping hand towards someone who needs it."

_I should've trying to save every single human life, regardless of what it cost._

_Leave me. Save the rest._

_Don't worry, I won't let them do anything to you._

I pushed back the memories, cocking my head. "Your husband… sounds like a very wise man."

Her smile took a sorrowful edge to it. "Yes, he was."

_Was._ I frowned. "My apologies, I didn't mean to offend."

"No need to. My husband, Takehito Asama, was a good man, who cared for many. I should be thanking you instead Stark-san, for letting a widow talk your ear off for a few hours."

"Pleasure was all mine." I would've struggled and expended more effort than required if it weren't for her help, and for that I was grateful.

Still, it gave me something to think about, was this Takehito person a human too? Did he really marry an alien? Was he even aware of what he married?

It caused me to think, was this all some type of project that ONI was aware of, perhaps using MBI as some type of business to cover up their experiments? Maybe something under Section-III? If it was, then what was the purpose? To assimilate this new alien species into humanity? They did show some rather extraordinary feats in terms of speed and strength, but I didn't know the extent of it. Interspecies breeding maybe? Could they even breed with humans? How much similarities to us did they share aside from abilities and appearance?

Even with all the time that had passed, I wasn't one hundred percent sure on how the majority of humanity would see a new alien species within the borders of our home world, regardless of their alikeness to us. Perhaps there would be some who would be able to keep a more openminded approach, especially those who served with the Sanghelli during the end of the war. Perhaps a newer generation who were brought up on the notion of peace not that the war was over could do such a thing.

At the same time, there was those who suffered irreparably from the other alien species. Who would never enjoy the thought of nonhumans trying to assimilate into humanity. Those who would rather kill than ever allow that to happen. There were already extremist terrorist groups who were out there already causing havoc on peace talks between us and other alien species simply because they could never put behind all the pain and suffering they caused us for nearly the entirety of the war.

Not that I could blame them. I myself carried an intense hatred for those on the other side of the human spectrum for the longest time. Only working with the Arbiter and those allied to him in the last months of the war had changed my viewpoint. I had learned the value of having nonhuman allies on our side, and the friendships I made were ones that I would always value.

Maybe that was why I wasn't as hostile with Asama and the others when I met them, then again, their human appearances might've played a factor in that.

Though-

"Ano. Excuse me sir?" I was brought out of my thoughts by the… Cashier? Yeah that was the name; giving me an odd look, waiting for me. "Are you going to give me your things?"

Oh, yeah.

I hastily began unpacking my cart and placed my items on the conveyer belt, ignoring the slight giggle Asama let out from behind me, letting her scan and bag each item. The young cashier worked efficiently, and before I new it, she was ringing up my amount.

"Your total will come up to…" She tapped the screen several times. "…369 credits sir." She gave me an expectant look.

I raised a brow, giving the small machine in front of me a small look. "…?"

…Asama had to step in and show me how to pay, showing me how to swipe my credit chip to do so, turning out that I had more than enough to cover the expenses. It made me wonder a little, how much did I have? Using the MBI card I received crossed my mind, but I refrained from using it, using my personal card my team had gotten me during my out processing from active service.

We both soon walked out the store with our respective purchases in hand; I had placed my bags back into my cart and continued to push it as we made our departure.

We eventually stopped at the edge of the parking lot. "This is where we go our separate ways I suppose." She bowed towards me. "Thank you again for listening to my ramblings. Take care of yourself on your way home Stark-san."

"Again it was my pleasure ma'am." I tugged at one corner at my lip. "And likewise."

She nodded to me once more, and I turned and began walking away from my first successful shopping trip.

I had to admit, aside from the obvious issues I had with figuring how things worked, and the required alien assistance I needed, I felt _very_ satisfied with my first civilian mission- err, outing.

If the rest was like this, then it would be too easy-

"Urk." I choked when the handle of the cart suddenly slammed into my gut as the wheels began to squeal from the friction between it and the ground.

What the-?

I looked down, giving the cart a little shake, bewildered at the suddenly locked wheels.

"_PLEASE RETURN CART TO PROPER AREA."_ A mechanical voice rang from the shopping cart.

What?

"…You're not supposed to take those home Stark-san." Asama's voice came unhelpfully from behind.

My eye twitched. "I see that now."

Which means I had to carry all these home by hand then.

…Damnit.

* * *

I sighed as I walked down the street with my handful of bags. Shopping for groceries was not an easy task; I realized. With how much time I took, the sun was already beginning to set.

People milled around me as I made my way home, stopping when they stopped at intersections, and resuming when they did. It was a very mob like and predictable motion to go through, though it seemed many were beginning to get out of work as it also became more and more packed the farther I got.

Men and women chatting, teenagers speaking in excitable tones or on their phones, and children giggling and laughing.

Cars honked and sped past.

Birds chirped and flew on by.

The smells of different foods assaulted my nose as I walked past a few shops, a quick glance showing other civilians inside cooking.

It was a… different experience, so to say.

Far different from the smell of blood and corpses on from the ruined cities.

But also different from watching the peaceful streets from above in my room in Teito Tower.

I was _here_, in the thick of it. It was an experience. Not sure if it was a good one just yet though.

I did notice some people look up, only for their eyes to become wide when they noticed me in front of them and quickly made space for me. They didn't point, they didn't stare any longer than needed. It was quick and straight move aside.

I found I quite liked it.

I glanced at the bus nearby, as the last of its passengers entered it and it kept its doors open for any stragglers. Only to blink when I saw a woman running a little bit away, child in her arms.

Taking a guess, I walked up to the bus door as the door began to close and placed my foot on the step before it could. It beeped as it automatically reopened itself, and I saw the driver glance at me with a frown, which quickly became annoyance when he realized I wasn't getting in.

I didn't have stay for too long though, as I removed my foot right before the mother rushed in, who sent me a grateful look and a small 'thank you' as she climbed in.

I just nodded and continued walking as the bus doors finally closed and took to the road once more.

Definitely a different change of pace I suppose. Not one I could really complain about.

The hairs on my neck raised suddenly and I stopped, turning around. All I saw was more civlians, some who gave me an annoyed look for suddenly stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, but they easily went around me.

Hm.

I ignored the sudden feeling, pushing it to the back of my mind as I resumed my walk.

Just ignore it. I reminded myself, I wasn't here to cause trouble after all.

Soon, the crowded sidewalks began to clear up as I got close to my place of residence, and soon all that was left was a few people walking by on their lonesome, and a person pedaling a two wheeled vehicle.

I should probably get one of those.

Though of course, as always, I seemed to find myself in situations I could do without.

"Hey! Never seen you around here you old _fuck!_ Who the hell are you?!"

I blinked at the rather hostile voice, only to realize it came from a male further down the road, leaned up against one of the walls, lit remains of a cigarette in hand.

I looked around a bit, trying to confirm who he was talking to before realizing it was only him and I on the road.

I gave him a curious look. "….?" But didn't say much else.

He seemed to take exception to that. "You fuckin' deaf or something? I'm talking to you, you old fuck!"

I frowned, had I offended him in some way? I didn't think I did anything wrong quite yet, aside from almost stealing a shopping cart.

"Did I… do something to you?"

A vein jutted from his head. "The fuck you say you _gaijin_ fuck?!"

Gaijin? Never heard of that one before. But seriously, what was this guy's problem?

He threw his cigarette to the side and sauntered up to me. "I don't give a fuck how big you are, you're in the wrong area _retard._" He waved a hand. "You're in Inagawa-Kai territory, so this means you're trespassing _gaijin_." He reached into his pocket.

My brows furrowed, Inagawa-kai? I filed that for later, instead steadily keeping my eyes on the male's as I analyzed the situation.

Alone. Dilated pupils. A slight sheen of sweat even with the amount of cold. Fresh blunt trauma around the neck. Emotional and irrational. Perhaps he picked a fight with more than he could handle and now is looking for stress relief?

Hm. So a simple punk then.

"Are you _fucking_ listening?!" He snarled into my face or tried to at least. With our height difference and all. I was forced to look down at him.

I blinked, mostly from the odd smell coming from his breath than anything else. It reminded me of the smell the kid from this morning had. There was little danger I was facing in this situation; despite the obvious hostility the punk was showing. Only those who bark the loudest often had the weakest bite.

Unless they were Sanghelli, who often had the bite to match up with their _riveting_ tales on how they would disembowel me and show my severed head to the rest of the of humanity who would perish without their _Demon_ or whatever nonsense they called me back then.

Ah…. I really don't miss those times. Sanghelli were a pain to deal with, especially the Zealots or Ultras. Jiralhanae were more predictable in my opinion. Mindless and easy to dispatch, unless they grabbed you of course, by then you only had seconds to prevent them from ripping your head off…

"I didn't realize," I said dully, not really bothered. "I'll be sure to watch out for the next time I head out. Thank you." My piece said, I attempted to walk around him.

"Hey, hey, hey! I wasn't fucking done talking to you _shithead!"_ I felt a hand grab the front of my jacket, ruffling up the material.

I had to admit, this guy had guts.

Most wouldn't try to pick fights with others twice their height. On their own at least.

"You think you can walk here and disrespect _me _-" He began to scream at me, his free hand cocked back, before it flew towards my face. It wouldn't reach, but it was the intent.

I dropped one of my bags and let the fist falls into my open palm, clasping my fingers over it tightly when it connected.

"…Just," I sighed. "Leave it. Ok?"

"Gah!" The punk tried to remove his fist from my grip, but there was no point, he wasn't going anywhere. Not with my augmented strength. "You fuck! Let me go!"

I rolled my eyes. This guy kept repeating that word over and over, I've been called worse.

"You gonna leave it?" I asked again.

My brows furrowed when he instead stuck his hand in his pocket and came out with a knife. He flicked it open, the blade coming out, and I simply applied more pressure onto his hand in response. I felt the bones in his hand shift, his fingers move underneath my palm, before I broke it all with a little squeeze.

He immediately cried out, dropping his knife in favor of trying to pry my hand of his. Tears welled up in his eyes, but I had no sympathy, civilian or not, he came to me as a threat, and I often eliminated them. A few broken bones might give him more to think about.

"FUUUUUUUUUU-" He bit his lip to the point it bled, falling to his knees in pain as he struggled. "Please let go! My hand, my hand! Arrrgggh!"

I released him, and he immediately cradled his damaged appendage, whimpering on the ground.

I shook my head. "…Should've left it." Before I grabbed my bag, I made sure to swipe of the knife of the ground, closing it and slipping it into my pocket before grabbing my stuff and leaving.

It left a slight bitter feeling inside of me to have done it, but it was necessary. I hadn't hurt or killed humans, much less civilians, since I had to deal with the Insurrectionists. That was a long time ago.

It was necessary I suppose, in order for everything to end bloodlessly. Still didn't like the feeling it left me with though.

"Fuck you!" I heard him scream from behind me. "You'll regret this! You goddamn freak!"

I felt my edge of my lip curl upwards wryly. That was an insult that never failed to hurt.

Congrats punk. Actually felt a little worse when a civilian said it than a soldier though.

Thankfully, the rest of my walk was uninterrupted, and I was soon back to my apartment complex, at the head of the stairs when I heard a yell.

"Ojii-san! Oiii!" I twitched at hearing that damned name again. No way. Could I not get a break?

I looked up, only to see the blond-haired young man from this morning quickly running down the stairs, waving to at me frantically. I sighed, resigning myself to my fate to a lack of solitude as I began my trek up the stairs.

I was only able to make it up the first flight of stairs before we both met. I watched him passively as he panted a bit, before he bowed, his upper body parallel to the floor. "I'm sorry for this morning!"

"…What about it?" I droned.

He looked up from his bow, a look of surprise on it. "Um, I threw up on you when you were helping me when I was drunk, and for being a nuisance- "

"Don't worry about it," I cut him off, annoyed that he came to bother me to apologize for this morning. There was no need to. "I didn't do it for thanks." Still, he said he was drunk? Was that the state he was in called? How did does a person even get 'drunk' in the first place? Was it some type of drug that affected the mind?

He blinked owlishly, slowly standing up from his bow. "R-really? You're," He swallowed nervously. "You're really not mad?"

I sighed. "No. Is that it?" I resumed my walk, and he followed close next to me.

I wasn't really interested in doing anything else after the day I had today. Just make some food, maybe go out for a run later, but not much else.

We arrived at my door, and I quickly fished out my key, unlocking it.

He fidgeted. "Well, I was just wondering if there was something I could do to make up for-."

"No." I closed the door and locked it.

Fevered knocks hammered it. "Oi! C'mon ojii-san!" My eye twitched. "At least tell me your name! I'm Yasaka!" He continued to shout through the door.

I rolled my eyes. "Go away." I muttered. I walked over to my kitchen, placing down the bags, only to sigh when I realized that when I dropped my bag, half of my eggs cracked with it.

I continued to unpack my new items, ignoring Yasaka. After a few minutes, the senseless knocking and complaining stopped. "….Ok, I got it, I guess you're a bit grumpy ojii-san." I grounded my jaw. Seriously? "Sooooo, I'll catch you tomorrow I guess, I'm gonna make it up to you somehow. So I'm gonna come over until you come up with something. Later ojii-san." I paused.

I stared blankly at the wall as I finally heard his footsteps go away.

What the hell? Was he being serious? Why can't this kid just leave it as is?

…..Damn conscious. There was nothing wrong with helping another person out, but I didn't want to deal with the aftermath of it. I don't care for praise for my actions.

Soon, I had set up all my new appliances in my kitchen and prepared the tools and ingredients necessary to make omurice with the leftover eggs I had. I had originally wanted prepared kontatsu for my meal with the instructions Miya had given me, but I suppose that would be saved for later instead.

I rolled up my sleeves, and started doing something I realized I haven't done since I was a child…

I cooked.

* * *

I placed the piece of the charred egg into my mouth, chewing on it thoughtfully, before swallowing, albeit a bit painfully. It burned as it slithered down my throat, before it fell like a rock into my stomach.

Eugh….

I immediately ate a big scoop of rice right afterwards, washing out the taste with a bit of tea.

Well… I certainly ate things worse than this, though it was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. Then again I'm just impressed I was slowly making more and more edible foods in a domestic setting.

Hunting and eating calamari and other seafoods with my fellow Spartans as a child had been the last time I ever fixed a meal for myself, and even then, it all was a group effort. With some explicitly hunting the food, while others cooked it.

I believe I was in the former.

I ate another piece of omurice, shivering slightly from the texture and taste.

With good reason too it seems.

Then again, I felt like I had been spoiled a good bit since I've retired. A roof over my head, a warm bed- well, futon- to myself, clothes on my back, hot showers, and food in my stomach. Of course I would trade all of it in a heartbeat just to get back inside my armor once more, but beggars can't be choosers.

I finished off my meal and washed off my dishes. The remaining tea was lukewarm inside its pot, but I still took my time drinking it, sitting next to the window and staring outside of it.

Even though it was nighttime, it was no longer snowing, but much of the remaining areas still had good amounts of ice sheeted across its areas.

I sipped my tea, letting my mind wander as I stared outside, thinking of nothing in particular.

It was only when I had finished what was left of my tea when I noticed it, just as I was going to look away.

Shadows. Jumping from the roof of one building to the next.

I frowned, narrowing my eyes at the sight.

When I realized my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, I immediately pulled on my shoes and walked out the small apartment. I ignored the cold, and instead placed my hands on the railing nearby, leaning against it as I evaluated the scene in front of me.

My eyes trailed as another couple of shadows flew across one building to the next. The moon was high in the sky at this point at night, and even with the lights of the city shining, it was still overlapped by the moons light. I couldn't make any details because of this.

I stood there woodenly, looking for more shadows, giving up after a few moments and no movement. I wanted to go out there tonight, but I knew, somewhere in my gut, that I would be looking for trouble if I did.

My palms itched.

…And I already made a promise not to interfere with whatever is going on here, so I won't.

But if something happened without me causing it…

I let my eyes wander, focusing on the on the apartment complex adjacent to mine. All the blinds were much closed, with a few lights beaming through them showing the still awake residents in them…

All except for one.

It was opened slightly, with the lights off, hiding whatever was inside the room. Though it couldn't hide the glint of a scope that was pointed in my direction.

I licked my suddenly dry lips as I curbed the anticipation filling my gut.

There was something about to happen in this city soon. Something big.

I stared for a few moments, before I turned away, going back inside my room as I got ready for bed.

When I laid down on my futon, my unpacked M6H under my pillow, I stared at the darkened ceiling.

I only needed a reason to get involved…

I closed my eyes, ignoring the feelings the idea of possibly fighting again brought.

Just one reason…

It was a long while before I found the lull of sleep.

* * *

"The first wave of Sekirei is and on the ground. The second will be good to go in about four days." Tamaki reported to the irritating, despicable man in front of her.

The man was a slender, bespectacled, with tall and spiky white hair. He was completely covered in white, wearing a pure white suit with pair of white gloves, and cape to finish off his elaborate appearance.

Minaka Hiroto, the founder and chairman of MBI, folded his hands under his face, elbows leaned on his desk. "There haven't been any complications?"

She shook her head. "No, in fact, we already have a few reports of Sekirei already becoming winged with their Ashikabi's."

Minaka accepted the data pad from her, his eyes scrolling through its contents. "Hm. So No. 37 has been winged already, along with the twins, No. 11 and 12." He narrowed his eyes when he saw their Ashikabi. "No. 37's is just some college student, though 11's and 12's…." He trailed off, a small grin playing upon his lips. "Looks like he got his pet project involved in the end. Seems like even after death, Takehito-kun still finds ways to interfere."

Takami frowned, wishing for him to wrap this up so she could get away from him. "What are you on?" She paused before adding. "Sir."

Minaka leaned back into his chair. "I see your time in ONI has changed you for the better. Nothing for you to worry about Takami-kun. Just an interesting player added onto the board. I wonder how he'll affect the game." He gave her a curious look. "Though, have we confirmed the location of 10 and her Ashikabi yet?"

She shook her head. "Negative sir, we do believe that 10 is still in Tokyo though, given she hasn't alerted any of our security alarms from our satellites." Takami frowned. "Her Ashikabi's a different story though, we have reason to believe that she's no longer in the country."

"Well that's unfortunate, but after 10 and 02 committed their little mutiny to the plan, capturing them is still top priority."

Tamaki grimaced. "Even with the game going on?"

"Especially with the game going on. Though don't worry, our Chief of Security will be joining us shortly to assist us with this endeavor."

She paled at that. "W-Wait, you're bringing _him_ here? I thought he was busy dealing with the Insurrection uprising in Sigma Octanus IV? Don't tell me he's done already?" She tried to keep her voice steady, but the horror in it still leaked out.

It hasn't even been a month since their Head of Security has been out after all.

Minaka looked disinterested in her alarm. "The uprising has been successfully dealt with by him. Our assets there are protected, with UNSC reinforcements providing additional security at the region in the event of any remnants attempting to retaliate. Our investment paid off in the end."

Takami swallowed. "Th-That's good to hear…" She mumbled, trying her best to hide her nervousness. "But why? I thought the Disciplinary Squad would be enough to deal with any Sekirei or Ashikabi's who broke the rules of the game?"

Thankfully for her, Minaka either didn't notice, or ignored it all together. "Indeed. Unfortunately, it's come to my attention that there are _rats_ still within the games limits who will try to further their own agendas besides playing our little game. These _rats_ need to be exterminated." His voice was passionless, causing shivers to flow down her spine.

"…Do we have any actionable intel to work with sir?"

He sighed. "We have intel, but not enough to work with. We still need more in order to make any retaliation against other companies defendable, but we do have strong suspicions on the corporations and groups involved."

"Who?"

"Hiyamakai Enterprise is one corporation our intelligence sources firmly believe may be making major moves against us."

She nodded, hand in her pocket, fingering her pack of cigarettes. How she could use one just about now. "They've always been a major competitor back in the day, with their influence dying out it only makes sense that their new CEO Higa Izumi might become desperate and reach out to those inclined with more…. Deadly affiliations"

Minaka's glasses glinted from the light. "Which is why our Chief of Security is coming back. To assist in this pest extermination."

Tamaki nodded hesitantly. "And what will be the Disciplinary Squads role in this? I thought with Karasuba leaving, Yume would lead the newest generation during the Sekirei Plan?"

"She still will, but with these new problems arising, Ill have to rescind Karasuba's letter of resignation until further notice. At least until the near end of the first phase of the plan, by then this whole issue should be resolved by then."

Tamaki still looked skeptical. "And ONI? If these groups plotting against us are out there, shouldn't we recall the Sekirei who haven't been winged just yet? Wait till the threat is done and gone before pushing the plan any further?"

"We won't have to worry about ONI interfering, we have the whole situation under control." He sighed. "But we can't recall the Sekirei. Its only because we're beginning the Sekirei Plan that their beginning to come out of their holes. We have to use this opportunity to eliminate them all before we get to the second phase."

"That's one hell of a risk we're taking here."

"It's a risk we're going to have to take. We may or may not have moles within the organization, so we'll have to flush them out by dangling the bait they want in front of their faces." Minaka grinned wickedly. "Besides, we both know how hellish this galaxy can be to those who aren't ready for its mystery's."

"And we're ready?"

He shrugged. "As ready as we'll ever be. Our friend will be briefed when he arrives in a few hours. He'll know what to do." He picked up the data pad once more, scrolling through its contents once more. "How's Catherine-kun doing by the way? Still pouting about working in her little 'prison'?"

Tamaki scowled in distaste, not wanting to talk about that irritating hag. "Same as always, unfortunately. Though when she isn't complaining, she's working, which has cut down the time for tuning the Sekirei. Cut off a whole two years worth of work because of her." She admitted grudgingly.

Minaka hummed. "So she's still useful then. Good to know. And any word of that man she kept talking to? A Mr. John Stark? A new patient for our rehabilitation program if I'm correct?"

She grimaced. More like a new pain in her ass. "If your talking about the guy Karasuba's reacting to. Then no, after their talk in his room on the night he left, they haven't interacted since."

He looked a little surprised. "Oh hoh? So our little dog really is reacting to someone? Interesting." He said thoughtfully. "Do you think he could be of some use to us if we were to bring him into the fold?" He could really use something to help keep Karasuba in line besides Yume.

Tamaki shook her head. "He seems like too much of a risk. He's not all there. I don't know what he did during his service, and my contacts in ONI are refusing to give me any further information aside from the basics. The majority of his files I was able to see was almost completely covered in black ink, and anything I can't find out, I can't trust."

"A possible spy then? From ONI?" It was always possible they were losing faith with them.

"Maybe, maybe not. He did look genuinely distressed when I found him at the airport, even though he tried to hide it, it got worse when I brought Yume in the room. But beside the fact, he's obviously augmented, and he's trained, judging by the way he moved during both altercations between her and Karasuba."

Minaka rubbed his chin. "I see, I see…" He waved his hand. "That's good to know Tamaki-kun. If that's all, you're dismissed."

Tamaki gritted her teeth at his dismissive attitude. Just when she thought they were on the same page; he always strayed and did his own thing. What was the point of her opinion if all he did was disregard it?

Still, she swallowed her pride, and nodded. "Sir." She said curtly, before turning on her heel and promptly walking out the office, away from her biggest regret of her life.

Now alone, Minaka pulled up the file of his newest patient. "John Stark." He murmured. Cold, almost empty blue eyes stared back at him from the screen. "Just who are you to get the attention of one of my most deadliest birds? Just what are you after?"

The image remained silent.

* * *

Miya Asama hummed gently to herself as she put up the last of the dishes. Today had been a rather interesting day for her after all.

She had helped someone who had needed it. Just like her husband, Takehito Asama, had did for her.

He had been a curious character, a large, mountain of a man with clothes that strained a bit too tightly around his huge frame. Dull, almost emotionless pale blue eyes staring at abject confusion at the stall filled with romaine and iceberg lettuce, unsure how to discern which. A face which seemed carved from stone from how expressionless it was twitching slightly as it tried to reveal the overwhelming feeling of strangeness he no doubt felt.

It had brought a moment of nostalgia to her, as she had once been the same, completely out of her element and unsure what to do. A much simpler time when she thought back to it, when she was still a blushing bride who had put down her sword to stay with the man she loved.

Though he had hid it well, the large man let out a slight aura of loneliness and sadness, something she had known much too well when her husband passed.

Maybe it was that slight kinship she felt that caused her to approach him the way she did. Though she was surprised on how he reacted to her, his pupils dilating and his breath becoming harsher, his body tensing up and taking up what could only be a stance to either fight of flight.

That was when Miya had figured out what he was. A soldier, and one, from his aged and slightly careworn appearance, who had most likely served during the Covenant Human war. She had read about them and had seen them fight from the few operations she had been part of so long ago. Humans, utterly filled with hate and resignation at the time, fighting tooth and nail for every piece of land they lost. For every single soul they lost. For every single piece of humanity they shed in order to fight for another day against their alien aggressors.

For a moment she saw that same hatred in his eyes. That same fiery passion that consumed so many who couldn't let go of it after the war had ended, and instead of feeling the possible need to defend herself, she only felt sympathy for the man.

What did he have to go through in order to end up like that?

She remembered her husband, when he wasn't working on the plan, had laminated to her when they had lost another patient in their rehabilitation program, too far gone with the mental scars they bared. Depression, anxiety, hopelessness, which ended up in them either losing the will live and shutting the world out, or suicide. She remembered how upset he had been when, instead of healing the men and women properly, Minaka had instead put those who had been willing under his payroll, manufacturing his own army from others brokenness. The fact that the UEG let him do it with little to no fuss made Takehito even more angry, but there was nothing he could do.

So, seeing her own chance to help someone in need, she had lent out a hand in her own subtle way. She was surprised when he had accepted it silently, albeit hesitantly, though she didn't show it. He had shown remarkable patience as she began to rattle off all the things she knew about cooking, taking notes when he figured out just how_ much_ she had to say.

To be honest, it had made her a little happy, having such an attentive student for her impromptu lesson. He had followed her like a shadow, keeping a respectable distance at all times, but every once in a while, his curiosity got the better of him, leading him to ask her questions she was all too happy to answer.

Miya had showed him all the latest appliances that she had her eyes on for a while, wanting him to have the best cooking experience possible with all the best hardware.

The experience had been fun… for her. Something she rarely experienced following her husband's passing.

She slid the last hand dried knife into its proper slot, drying her hands with the same cloth.

"JohnStark…" She murmured to herself.

That had been the man's name. Who had a deep, guttural voice that belayed his surprising amount of textbook knowledge he possessed.

She just prayed that he wouldn't get involved in the horrid game that would soon take place, for a man such as him needed time to heal from the unseen wounds he obviously suffered from. A notion she was all too familiar with.

Stark-san didn't need something such as the Sekirei Plan weighing on his mind.

Though perhaps having a bird of own might help him in a way.

Miya sighed as her thoughts began to turn complex. It was all a double-edged sword, if he were to or not get involved in the plan. He would be alone if he didn't, stewing in his confusion and bitterness he most likely didn't know he had, according to her husband anyways. Or he would get involved, but if he did, and he lost…. Then….

Gods, she hated this plan so much….

A knocking at the front door gained her attention, and she placed the cloth away, her footstep silent as she approached her front door.

"Yes?" She asked as she opened the door, only to blink at the particular sight in front of her.

A young, ashen haired man, completely dressed in black, stared at her with wide, pleading eyes. Smoke wafted from his body uncontrollably, patches of his clothes smoldering from the heat coming under it.

"H-Help…" He wheezed weakly, before collapsing at her front door.

Miya blinked a few times, before cupping her cheek with one hand.

"Oh my…" She sighed.

An interesting day indeed.


	8. Feather 8

_**On an Eagles Wings**_

_**((Author's note:**_

_**21,210 words long. That's how long this chapter is without the A/N…**_

…_**..**_

_**AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_

_**I'm sorry guys. I know I said I would update In the Shadow of Gods next but I couldn't help it! OOOOOOHHHHH! I feel like a liar now!**_

_**The update is coming! IT'S COMING! PLEASE BE PATIENT!**_

…_**Ahem…**_

_**My unreliability aside…**_

_**This was a pretty darn long chapter. Like seriously, but I was surprised on how much fun it was to write.**_

_**With all the bad news we're getting nowadays, my motivation sunk pretty badly for a bit. Then I started writing… and writing…. And writing… then boom. Long ass chapter.**_

_**I was actually a bit further than this, but decided to cut it here, as I felt it would've been waaaaaay to long by then, and I'm not sure how long this burst of motivation would last. **_

_**So here's to keeping to a somewhat consistent update schedule!**_

_**Oh yeah, I guess some people weren't happy at all with how last chapter was handled I guess.**_

_**Can't win them all I suppose…**_

_**((SPOILERS!)) SKIP IF YOU DON'T WANT NONE!**_

_**So here it is folks. Our first taste of On an Eagles Wings style retired!John-117 in action. I know many were waiting for this to happen since Yume handed John the way she did! So here's to hoping you guys will be satisfied with what I brought to the table! Also, the weapon used here is part of the HaloFanon universe for anyone wondering about it. I didn't make it myself at all.**_

_**The whole point of this chapter was to bring John from the mundane lifestyle he adopted to finding himself in a situation bigger than he thought. So it might seem a bit slow in the beginning, and John may make a few odd choices, but know everything will be explained! With time!**_

_**Also, noticed a lot of people who are pretty apprehensive about this 'Head of Security' character, believing him to be some shitty OC or someone who's gonna steal the spotlight from John. Well, without giving too much out, all I will say is the character is part of the Haloverse, and its going with my spin of the Sekirei Plan being part of that universe. **_

_**He will be revealed next chapter, and I have a feeling many of you Halo fans will be a little surprised on who I bring to the table.**_

_**Please read and review. If anyone has any questions/comments/concerns, please PM me so we could discuss it (without any spoilers of course).**_

_**And above all else, please enjoy the story!**_

_**Feather Eight**_

"…_On today's forecast, it's looking like clear skies for the day, while being chilly for the night. So we would recommend a thick sweater for those who want to go out for a late night stroll…."_

"…_to add to the hype of the Master Chief's return, Ship It Pictures had decided to partner up with the UNSC to bring us their new movie: __117: Heroes Never Die__. Set to release later this year, with Fist of the Unicorn providing the music, critics are already claiming it to be the biggest movie in cinema history…"_

"…_with Insurrectionist groups such as the United Rebel Front and the New Colonial Alliance still going strong. The UNSC seems to find itself to be stretching themselves far too thin from all these threats in growing in both the Outer and Inner colonies. With such power plays occurring around us, we ask UNSC official…"_

"…_The fact is, is that the UEG is going to keep making domestic, homegrown terrorists if they keep going with their self-righteous war. The people they're supposed to be 'protecting' are the one's suffering from these damn expenses on their tin-man program, or the Spartan-IV's. Bunch of roided up assholes with a too big stick up their ass I'd say. They are a disgrace to the Spartan-II's and III's who came before them…"_

"…_Peace?! They want to make peace with them?! These assholes have been killing us for over two decades! Killing our children! Killing the defenseless! And there's people out there who want to make peace with them?! Are they fucking joking?! What we should be doing, is going to their home planets, and spiking their fucking heads on pikes! See how they like it for once!..."_

"…_the Master Chief coming back? Man, I dunno. Maybe give the guy a break. I mean, sure he's the best soldier humanity has, but he's still a human, y'know? He's been fighting for a long time, and that's gonna hurt a person, I don't care how strong they think they are. You just don't come back from that stuff. With how much the VA has changed since the war first ended, I think he'll be pretty well off…"_

"…_this is EBC News. Delivering the truth to all who listen…"_

* * *

"Don't you have to go to school or something?" I asked the young man around a mouthful of my burger, fully enjoying the richer food as I sat in one of the tables at outdoor food court the mall had.

Seated across from me, Yasaka smiled at me with a shake of his head, a burger in his hand too. "No. Not just yet. I applied for Shin Tokyo University that night before you picked me up. Some friends and I went to celebrate after I took my test." He laughed a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't think I did too well on the exam though, even with prep school. But I've got my fingers crossed."

After being constantly bothered by the kid for almost a week after our initial meeting, I decided to just to give him a chore to assist me with. Just told him to throw away some bags of trash for me, nothing too hard, and hoped he went away after that. He decided to stick around instead, unfortunately. Turns out he didn't know too many people around Japan, or on Earth in general, as he was a Martian, or a human born on Mars. He also liked to talk, a lot, as I soon found out after spending more than ten minutes with the guy. That's how I learned he came to Earth to finish his education, a fresh graduate from high school back where he lived in Mars' city of New Harmony, to join the prestigious Shin Tokyo University here in Japan. Yasaka was an easy going fellow, always able to talk through the lull in the conversation between us whenever I ran out of things to say. Which is why after a month and a half after meeting each other, he was the closest thing to a civilian friend I had.

Seriously though, he liked to talk, a lot.

I frowned as I swallowed. "And if you don't make it?"

"Yeah. I'm kinda expecting the worst to happen, so I got a job at a local host club. Heh," He looked the odd mixture of embarrassed and proud, especially when I raised an eyebrow. "Seems like I got good enough looks for that type of job. Eh Ojii-san?"

I stared at him blankly, letting the name wash over me like water. Or at least trying to. "Depends, what's a host club anyways?" I asked. Admittingly, I could see if looks were a factor for a job, he could get it. Maybe there was a major difference between service members appearances and civilian, but he obviously maintained his. His hair was well groomed, and he almost always wore rather classy outfits that were a bit much for my tastes, as it reminded me of wearing my dress blues, which I distinctively remember were a bit too stiff to wear.

Yasaka looked a bit taken aback at my question. "Really?" At my shake of the head he raised a brow. "Huh, most guys your age are pretty big on hostess clubs. You know, the rich, but lonely types." I glared at him, and he looked away with a small nervous laugh. What was he implying with that comment? First of all, he kept bothering me most of the time, I just wanted to keep my head down and do what I had to.

"I'm not lonely." I scowled, and he brought up a hand, as if to wave away my annoyance.

"And that's fine too, being on your own could be a pretty good thing." Yasaka weaved a hand through his hair, giving me what he might've thought was a charming smirk. "But for someone like me, it's almost impossible, as I'm sure you can tell."

I kept my face carefully bland; if he was trying to impress me, it wasn't working. "…Sure." I responded, keeping what I really felt like saying to myself. "What's a Host club?" I instead reiterated my question and I watched as any sense of pride he had for his job went away, leaving only embarrassment.

Yasaka grimaced, putting down his food and rubbing his hands a little nervously. "Well, um, it's a job where you go and talk to people, mostly women, and relax with them. We drink with them and try to give them a good night, and they pay us for it."

I felt doubtful that was all to it. He continued. "Of course, the hosts are all competing against one another to become the number one host of the club." There it was. "They'll usually go on dates with their customers after hours, and try to keep them coming back for more by becoming their favorite host so they can make more money by the end of the month. While the one who's the least popular gets a small punishment, like reduced pay so they can try to work harder. It's a pretty expensive job, so we've got to make sure to keep sales up from what is used during our time with the customers."

"…Sounds shady." I replied, as that's what it sounded like. Like a game, albeit a twisted one as it seemed to take advantage of others and their loneliness to me. Use your charisma to become more popular, and the more popular you are, the more people spend on you. My time out taught me how valuable credits are for day to day life, so I became a bit of -what was the words Yasaka said- a cheapskate. Even though I had money, and I found out I had _quite_ a lot, I figured that I should save as much as possible, even with the monthly pay I received from the government as a benefit for my service.

Also made grocery shopping simpler too. Coupons, deals, and sales; if they didn't have them, I didn't buy it.

"No! It's really not!" Yasaka gave me a slight pleading look when he heard my opinion of his chosen profession. I guess people in his line of work get looked down on, and he must've assumed I was probably doing the same. Then again, going to a 'host club' wasn't my idea of a good time, having a job of spending time with people I didn't know for who knows how long didn't tickle my fancy. I wasn't one that enjoyed too much small talk, and I could only imagine the type of stress 'hosts' and 'hostess'' have to go through to make sure they were good enough company to make customers come back to them.

Only recently I had learned how horrible some 'customers' can be… especially when there are exclusive deals on good steak and lobster.

…Damn crazy housewives and househusbands. I rubbed my leg idly, remembering the time an old lady hit me with her cane to get some type of sought out mushrooms that were on sale that I was able to snag a few shopping trips ago. Old crone had a shoulder on her.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend." I apologized. "But… if it makes you happy, you should go ahead and do it." I shrugged. I don't know why my opinion seemed to matter to him so much, it wasn't like what he did would affect me or my life. He should do what he wants, not wonder if I approve of it.

Yasaka brightened up at my words, sending me a wide smile. "Yeah, even though I've only been working there for a few weeks so far, it's amazing!" I watched him as he began to gush about his job, seemingly a lot happier to talk about it now that I showed him my neutral acceptance to it. "Everyone there is great and friendly, but there's this one guy, who I didn't like at first as he was the number one host in the club. I expected him to be a bit of an asshole because of that, but after I got to work a few days with him…"

I felt myself drift off as he excitedly talked about his new coworker, as between bites of my food, I suddenly found it harder to pay attention any longer.

I glanced up and I saw them. People, no not people, aliens, like Yume, Karasuba, and Miya, jumping from one roof top to the next. I had only been in Japan for a little over a month, learning what I needed to during my stay, but even I knew something strange was going on.

A familiar sinking feeling formed in my gut as I was able to focus on one of the female aliens as she jumped rooftop to rooftop, I couldn't make out any specifics from the distance I was at, except the scantily clothing she wore. And the huge hammer she carried on her back.

It really surprised me on how many people didn't figure just to _look up_. For some odd reason, it really just didn't occur to them, just to simplely glance upwards.

They hadn't when I saw them the first time. The second time. Or even the twelfth time.

I sincerely doubted this was supposed to be a common sight in the city, and I still didn't know what these aliens were, or what they were after. There were only three reasons why I hadn't intentionally gone out of my way to track down these creatures and find out just what the hell was going on. With extreme prejudice if I was required to.

The first was that no matter what they did, they were obviously connected to MBI in some way. Not only that, but from what I was able to see with Karasuba and Yume, with the way they took orders from Halsey and Sahashi, that they were subservient to them as well. Somehow.

The second was… well, as selfish as it sounded, I had made a promise to do my best in not getting involved and to live my life a civilian. As self-serving as it sounded, I was a man of my word, and I will do whatever it takes to keep my promise. After all, when I make a girl a promise….

I raised a hand up, fingering my dog tags that were underneath my clothes.

The third, and perhaps the most important reason, was because I was being watched. It probably sounds a little paranoid of me, but it was only after careful investigation without tipping off my stalkers that I was able to come to that conclusion. Having the feeling of being stared at was common-place, but I felt a certain edge when I felt I was being watched, and it occurred just about all the time I was out and about the populous. I had even gave one of my watchers the slip by walking around the same few blocks a few times before retreating in a nearby building, and lo and behold, one of them showed up frantically looking for me, and I had to pretend I didn't notice them when they found me again. The fact that they most likely had someone watching me from the building across from me had made me slightly uncomfortable, the same scope and window never changing its routine. The only reason I hadn't come up and confronted them was because I didn't know who they worked for. Was it MBI, as I was their client? Or was it ONI, because of who I am and what they've done? I doubted it was anyone else but those two, as they were perhaps the ones with the most knowledge of my past, given that the few people that know it work there.

Either way, I had the feeling that I wouldn't have to do much in the first place, as the aliens really weren't as hidden as they thought they were trying to be, if they even were. There was already some awareness that something was going on, not enough to cause civil unrest, but enough that they looked a little wary. Collateral damage had already taken place within multiple parts of the city, fortunately no civilian casualties, but instead more on the plane of structural damage. Destroyed sidewalks and roads, damage buildings and residences, and even some metro routes have been reported on the news to have been afflicted with the recent damages occurring all over the city. Loud sounds at night, the sound of thunder booming even without any clouds in the sky, much less lightning. Things were going to pop off soon, and when it did, it was going to be intense.

Still, I stayed my hand. Almost everything had been covered in the media, instead saying that gas leaks had caused the damages to buildings, and miniature earthquakes were the reason that the roads were breaking apart. Whatever PR team MBI had, they knew had to cover their bases in order not to cause mass panic within the civilian population, but the citizens will only stay ignorant for so long until they would wizen up and realize that there is more going on than they originally thought.

"-Seriously Ojii-san," My attention was pulled back towards Yasaka as he continued, the female aliens already long gone from my sight. "He's a pretty cool guy! So calm and collected, yet still so polite and friendly!" His food was already set down as he gesticulated wildly, eyes closed as he let a shudder go through his body, the look on his face one of euphoria. "Nowadays its like the only reason why I go to work is to see him!"

"Hm." I hummed distantly, wondering how much of the conversation I missed when I noticed the unknown nonhumans in the vicinity. "So this guy, he's your boyfriend or something?" It was interesting to see how quickly his face became red, almost as if it exploded into that color.

"E-Eh?" Yasaka stammered, eyes wide. "Wait no, no, no, you've got it all wrong! I'm into girls! Girls!" He cried out frantically.

I raised a brow. "So you two aren't friends then?"

"I mean, we are, but it's nothing like that! What you're saying is completely different!"

"How?" I replied questionably, genuinely curious. "He's a boy and your friend. Simple as that."

Yasaka worked his jaw, a conflicted amount of emotions flashing through his face as he was faced with my undeniable logic. It took a moment for him to find a response. "Ojii-san," He settled on whining instead, his face still completely red. "You're messing with me again, aren't you?"

I didn't bother answering, I just polished off the last of my burger, my seventh one to be exact, and neatly gathered my trash together. I couldn't understand why he was so flustered in the first place, wasn't that what they called each other in the civilian world? Odd… Was I wrong?

"Mou," Yasaka ran a hand through his hair, the red on his face gone now. "You got to stop doing things like that. Sometimes I really can't tell if you're being serious or not." He took a breath. "Besides, that's not what I brought you out here today for."

I just merely leaned in. "What is it?"

"Uh, um," He coughed into his hand. "So, we've been friends for what? Like a month?" He asked.

I nodded in reply. I wouldn't trust him to ever watch my back in a fight anytime soon, but I guess you can call us that. "Give or take a few days." I added.

He seemed to become a bit bolder with my reassurance, as he stopped looking anxious, and gave me an easy-going smile. "Yeah! And because we're friends, we've hung out a couple times together? Kinda just going out y'know?"

If he meant the few times we went shopping for a few pieces of furniture for my room and went to grab a bite to eat, then yes, we've 'hung out' a few times. Where was he going with this?

"And aside from how quiet you are, you're a pretty cool guy to be around." He spread his arms widely. "You're, like, the best listener I've ever met! Usually people get tired of me talking after a while, but you've never taken issue to it."

I curbed the urge to level him a dry glare.

Oh, I knew he talked a lot, I knew too well. I also knew how to tune him out when he began to babble.

"So here's the thing," I almost sighed in relief, he was finally getting to the point. "With Valentine's day coming this weekend, the host club I'm working at is doing this event for a local bar. We're going to have a Ladies Night going on at their place, and we, the host, are gonna show up and give them a good time y'know? Just mingle, share some drinks, sing some songs, and just have as much fun as we can to celebrate the night."

I nodded slowly, a sinking feeling forming in my gut. Valentine's day? Ladies Night? What were those things about? Why did they celebrate it? Was it some type of event civilians had every month? Every year? …. Why was he even telling me this?

Yasaka rubbed his hands together. "So, I was just wondering… if… you'd like… to go?" He finished awkwardly, giving me a shy smile.

I stared at him blankly in response.

What? Was he being serious?

By the way his eyes stared at me hopefully, most likely to accept his offer; yes, yes it was. Unfortunately for him, I didn't feel ready to jump into a social situation like that anytime soon. Or ever really. I'm afraid that's a hard 'no' from me.

Yet, as I opened my mouth to decline, I found myself unable to say just that. I pursed my lips in thought; wasn't the whole point of me coming out here to attempt to acclimate into a civilian lifestyle? True, it would be temporary, but wouldn't turning down the opportunity be the same as running away from a challenge?

I didn't back down from challenges. Couldn't back down.

At the same time; a social event at a bar? To spend time with a bunch of people I didn't know? And whom didn't know me? That felt like to huge of a leap than what I was comfortable with. Even though I had gotten a bit more comfortable with the civilian lifestyle, I didn't feel ready for something like that.

Funny, I could fight and kill a brute Chieftan any day of the month with my bare hands with barely a sweat, but when it came to going to a social event, I could feel an anxiety course through me like never before.

I began to tap my finger on my leg as I sat, conflicted on what to do.

Meanwhile, Yasaka was beginning to look more and more downtrodden at my apparent lack of an answer. By the time I replied, he already looked resignation on his face.

"…I'll," My heartbeat thudded a little harshly as I tried to keep the anxiety from my voice. "I'll think about it…"

He nodded, not looking at my eyes as he frowned. "Yeah, I thought you would say that. Can't stop a guy from trying- ." he blinked, his minds seemingly coming to terms with what I said. "W-Wait, you didn't say no?"

I shook my head, giving him a cautious look. Was I supposed to? If that was the case then it would be to easy to rectify that-.

"Yes!" I forced myself not to jump when he suddenly shouted, pumping his arms back and forth furiously. "You didn't say no!"

I felt my lips twitch slightly at his enthusiasm. "I didn't say yes either." I remind him, but there is no real heat in my voice.

"Still didn't say no~." Yasaka laughed excitingly, and I finally allowed myself to roll my eyes. Though the initial anxiety I had, while still there, ebbed away slightly as he continued to 'celebrate'.

That immediately went away the moment he tensed up, a look of realization donning on his face as he look at me, eyes roaming up and down my form. "Clothes…" He said simply.

"…?" I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"We've got to get you more clothes." He gestured to my current assemble. "The track suit thing you've got going on isn't going to work for that night. Do you have anything else to wear?"

What was wrong with my current attire? It was comfortable and had good mobility. Well, as good as clothes could get. Still, I shook my head, and he frowned deeply, giving me a thoughtful look, before smiling widely.

I didn't like the chill that ran down my back at seeing it.

"Guess we have to go shopping for some then huh? It's a good thing we're already at the mall!" He said cheerfully.

The chill got worse.

"…But I didn't say yes…" I tried weakly.

His smile just got wider in response.

* * *

"So how do you like the outfit I put together?" Yasaka asked eagerly. "I'd say its made you look a lot better than the athletic clothes you kept wearing."

I didn't respond, instead staring at the mirror at my figure with the befuddled look on its face. I had gotten rid of my track suit and cap, instead wearing a whole different outfit. I was dressed in a too tight button up grey shirt with the buttons undone to the center of my chest, exposing way too much of my neckline and below than I was comfortable with. The gold chain hanging around my neck out in the open for anyone to see, my dog tags left with my tracks suit, finished with my sleeves rolled up. A pair of similarly tight khaki pants were wrapped around my bottom half, squeezing my thighs and groin tightly in its embrace, with my ankles exposed, a pair of loafers on my feet. I had a thick, black wool jacket around one of my left arm, and on my right hand, I had several rings bounded around my fingers, along with a bracelet around my wrist.

I could barely move my arms, much less squat, without the material tightening around my body uncomfortably. It felt unnecessary, and from what I saw from the prices, expensive as hell, not to mention gaudy.

All in all, especially with my face scrunched up the way it was, I looked exactly how I felt.

Like an idiot…

"You've," I grimaced; Geez, it was even a bit hard to breathe. "…Got horrible tastes." I said flatly.

"What?!" Yasaka cried out, appalled with my harsh evaluation. "How is my taste horrible?!"

"It's…" I tried to stick a thumb through my waist band, only to grimace when I could only get it a quarter through when it became too tight. I had multiple problems with this outfit, and I wasn't even talking about the damn style of it, though that was an issue within itself. "This look just isn't me?" I tried instead, as I was going to be polite about it the best I can, after all he was trying to help me is all.

I took a glance at a nearby mannequin with an outfit on it. It looked much more comfortable to wear than this one did, and the bag wrapped around its waist definitely caught my eye. It looked more functional and practical all in all. "That one. I think I would like that one more…"

Yasaka followed my line of sight and cringed when he saw the mannequin I was interested in. "Ew, no. For the love of God, no. I'm not going to let you embarrass yourself by wearing a fanny pack."

I frowned, not seeing the same issue he seemed to have about it. "What's wrong with it?" Minding the neon pink shirt and khaki shorts -they were a little too short, but beggars can't be choosers-, it didn't look all that bad. And seriously, that waist bag just looked so useful!

He grimaced, looking away from it like its very existence was an affront to him. "Just, no. I can't let you embarrass yourself like that. Though I should've expected you would want something like that." He sighed. "Go back and change, I'll get a store employee and see if they can't help us instead."

I nodded, hiding my relief, as he walked away, almost jumping back into the changing room to remove the too constricting clothes. I grunted when I tried to peel the pieces of cloth that stuck to my body like a second skin, shimmying out the pants the best I could. Who in the world would wear clothing like this?! It was like torture, with how much blood and air flow it cut away from my body! Why would civilians do that to themselves and act like everything is ok?

I let myself sag in relief when I was able to finally remove the last article of the damned outfit, immediately throwing on my infinitely more comfortable tracksuit with a small sigh of relief. I walked out the room and hung the unwanted clothes on a nearby pole just as Yasaka came back with a female employee, who's eyes went a little wide when she saw my appearance.

"Oh my…" She mumbled, eyeing me up and down slowly. I held back the urge to shift side to side. There was something in that gaze that made me feel uncomfortable, like I was a piece of meat to her or something.

Next to her, Yasaka nodded with a small sigh. "Yeah, I know it's not too much, but you'll have your work cut out for you. He doesn't like my style, but we have a night out coming out soon, and he needs to look good enough for it."

"I didn't even say yes…" I muttered.

Naturally, I was ignored.

"Hm. I see~." She stopped eyeing me, giving me a polite smile. Immediately the strange feeling went away, and I let my shoulders untense slightly. "If you'll follow me sir, I'm sure we can get you situated just fine."

I nodded hesitantly, before following after her. It took us about two hours to find a few days-worth of outfits. I was forced to go through the wringer, constantly entering and exiting the changing booth, trying out outfit after outfit. I had gotten a headache midway and could feel the damn thing pound away at my skull. Multiple times I was about to call it quits, especially when I could feel my frustration peak when we went through multiple outfits with none of them being approved, but I reigned in my temperament, as I had too much pride to call it when I was already halfway through it. Likewise, they were patient with my grumpy attitude, helping me the entire time. Though we had only gone through quite a few outfits by then, with me only liking two of them.

Man, who knew fashion was such an intricate subject in the civilian world. I had to give credit where credit was due, as they had a lot more patience and constitution than I when it comes to this, and the employee did this for a damn _living_. I could never do something like this, not even if I staked my life on it.

"So what do you think?" The employee asked me with a bright smile, not the least haggard as I felt after doing for almost two hours.

Yasaka hummed, grabbing his chin in thought as he examined me in my last outfit. "…Yeah, I think that's a bit safer… yeah, but you're still lacking a punch." He frowned. "I mean, it's just too vanilla. You could use an accent of some kind…"

I was dressed in a simple grey v-neck shirt and dark blue jeans, finished with a pair of formal black leather boots. I had taken off my glasses for the changings, and my dog tags were still around my neck, the chain slightly exposed.

I cocked my head. "…I think this is pretty nice." It was modest, and I looked alright in it I guess, but I didn't care for that. In contrast for the aesthetics Yasaka wanted, I wanted practicality, and would reject anything that didn't fall in that category.

"I think it is too." The employee added. "And if you need a little extra, you can always wear the leather jacket we picked out."

I glanced at the item in question in the very small pile of clothing that was approved, and Yasaka looked a bit appeased by the suggestion, backing off from his criticism.

Now, for the test. I still needed mobility in an outfit. So, I stretched my arms upwards, the shirt riding up my body a bit, exposing my stomach, and my muscles flexing as I did. The shirt hugged my back and chest a bit snugly as it did, but it was still comfortable enough. I sighed, dropping my stretch, and dropped my body into a squat, flexing my back as I did so. The jeans stretched around my glutes and thighs, but I could still breath and move well enough, and it didn't feel restricting at all. Hm, seems like this one was also good to go as well.

I heard a small sigh behind me. "Oh my…" I heard the employee say wistfully. "It never gets old, no matter how much you look at it."

Yasaka coughed forcefully.

For the sake of my sanity, I ignored them deliberately, standing up and nodding my head in approval. "Yeah, I think I'll take this one. Do you think I can get four more pairs of this actually?"

She nodded and went to do just that, while Yasaka gave me a doubtful look. "You sure you want the rest to be that? We could look for more outfits."

I shook my head in negative. One, I was already tired of doing this dress up business, and just wanted to wrap this up and go home. And two, I already had a good outfit for that night he told me about if I decided to go out. I could make do with this and call it a day. Who knew you could get this mentally exhausted just looking for clothes?

"I'm fine with this." I replied.

He scratched his cheek, grabbing the rest of the clothes that I approved of. "If you say so, meet me up at the front when you're ready."

I nodded in acknowledgment as he took off. I went inside the changing room to go back to my original outfit, carrying the new one under my arm as I walked to the front of the store to pay for my items.

That was when I saw it.

I paused, looking at the bomber jacket that was tucked into the 'clearance' section of the store, pulling it out. The torso was black, with the sleeves being white with black streaks going down them. I turned it around, looking at the thing that caught my attention in the first place.

A scowling blue monster stared back at me, fangs jutting from its face and horns coming from its head, purple eyes glaring. On its forehead was the kanji for 'Oni', or 'demon'.

I felt myself scoff, amusement bubbling in my chest as I stared at the embroidery.

'Demon' huh?

Despite myself I felt a smirk crawl up my face. Might as well, I figured. I placed the jacket under my arm and walked up to the front, placing the items in front of the employee as she scanned them.

Yasaka gave me a funny look when he noticed the jacket. "Why would you want that? Are you sure?"

I nodded, cringing a bit when she tallied up my cost. Geez, who would've thought shopping for clothes would be more expensive than grocery shopping. "It's a bit of an inside joke, between me and a few people who know." I explained as I reluctantly paid for my items, deciding to swipe the MBI card through the machine this time.

He squinted at me, a curious look on his face. "What's the joke about?"

"I can tell you." I felt the corner of my mouth curl up as I looked him straight in the eyes. "But then I'd have to kill you…"

Yasaka blinked, before he shook his head. "You're unbelievable Ojii-san." He chuckled, most likely taking my ominous comment as a joke. "Fine then, keep your secrets."

I think I will.

"Yeah," I scoffed as I took my bags. "You wouldn't get it anyways…"

* * *

"Ah, Stark-san, is that you?" I blinked, pausing from the action of locking my door as an elderly voice called out. "Are you busy at the moment?"

I turned around. "Not right now landlady. How can I help you?" I asked the owner of the large apartment complex I lived in.

She was an older woman, late in her age, given by the grey hair on her head that was tied into a tight bun, dressed in a simple sweater and skirt. She was rather kind, yet stern woman who talked much about the good old days before the war happened and when her husband was still around. Turns out that she had wanted their son to take the mantle as landlord of the complex, but instead he had gone off and married some 'skank', as she described it, and moved to the United Republic of North America together, all but forgetting about her. If she was bitter of the event, then she hid it well, only venting about it to others who lent an ear for her tale.

I was one of those, when we had first met about a week after I moved into the apartment complex.

"Ah, since you so kindly offered. There is a plumbing issue in room 201 that I just received a notice about, along with the heaters in room 421 and 422 being on the fritz again. 101 has also had an issue with the stove as well." She pulled out a cigarette pack from her pocket, lighting one up and inhaling its fumes.

I sighed, turning around to finish locking my door. I had originally wanted to go out for a run while it still was a bit early, but it seems like I'll have a change of plans today. "I could take a look at them today, see what's the issue. If I can fix them then I will, but if it's beyond me then you'll have to call the repairman to deal with it properly."

She exhaled the smoke, nodding. "Of course, I'll let you borrow my husband's old tool set again to fix what you can. Whatever you fix I'll pay you a reasonable amount for."

I frowned. "I don't need payment ma'am. It's not why I'm doing this." I've been helping around the apartment complex as a distraction. I hadn't even meant to get in the landlady's good graces that way. She had been merely venting to me one day on the outrageous amount of money the repairmen charged her to basically do patchwork jobs that wouldn't last long and causing her to call them again, basically calling them thieves. With nothing to do that day, I had offered to take a look, since I had some experience looking at plumbing and such during my training days as a child and was something of a mechanic myself during the war, able to do patchwork on vehicles and even able to figure out and fix complex issues on what basically amounted to million dollar equipment.

Imagine my surprise when I found out how many 'do it yourself' repair videos were on Waypoint. Using that resource to assist me with issues I couldn't figure out and fixed a good amount of maintenance issues using those resources. I guess people were just too lazy to do it themselves or thought themselves to be better than fixing their own problems. I understood the landlady unable to do it, given her age, but given how some of the residents lived, from what I saw when I came in to fix their issues, I personally found it unacceptable. Maybe it was because in the FOB's I would sometimes live in, if a maintenance issue occurred, we either had to figure it out ourselves or go without it since most of the maintenance teams were monitoring more important pieces of equipment such as electricity and comms.

Then suddenly I found myself as the landlady's 'go-to' repairman before she went to the professionals to help.

I had rarely found a resident with a valid reason to not fix their own living space, but it kept me busy, especially when I got bored. Things like exercise and searching Waypoint could only keep me busy for so long with the gaps between each event, before I found myself restless without anything else to do. Sleeping wasn't much of an option nowadays because of… reasons.

So I worked when I got the chance to, not like I had anything better to do.

The landlady waved off my concerns, taking another drag of her cigarette. "Again with this? I already told you, 'Honest work equals honest pay' Stark-san. You actually try to figure out how to fix the problem, unlike those damn thieves who try to suck me dry just so they can sit around with their thumbs up their asses." She exhaled. "Even if you're a foreigner, I trust you more than I do than the ones who make a living doing this. So enough of that, you'll be getting paid for whatever you fix."

I sighed, seeing as she wasn't going to budge about the issue. "Fine. I'll go take a look now." I began walking towards the stairs to make the climb to the first room I wanted to see first.

"Thanks Stark-san, for helping an old woman out. I'll be in my room so you can collect the tools you need." She called out, and I nodded.

Time to work. It was a good thing I was already in my tracksuit.

* * *

I sighed as I turned the wrench for the last time, wiping my face of the putrid water and bits of food from my face.

Every once in a while, I ended up reminding myself that I used to work on million credit equipment not that long ago. I've been given the best and most extensive training anyone could have ever received at the age of six, being able pilot multiple various crafts of both human and alien variety, including crash landing one if the case may be, string a trip line, treat a chest wound, perform jungle maneuvers, earned every combat rating, and apply counterinterrogation techniques.

All before the age of twelve.

Now look at me. Retired at the age of forty-seven, and now I'm willingly fixing sinks and heaters now to keep myself busy from the crushing boredom of everyday life.

I shoved the bitter feeling blossoming in my chest with some difficulty.

One day at a time Spartan.

Grunting, I pulled myself from under the sink, only to be met with a woman holding a tray with a cup of tea in her hands. The resident of room 201, Naru Hayama. I've helped fixed multiple situations in this room before, so I was already a bit of a familiar face to her by then.

"How's it looking?" She asked curiously as she took a glance at my soiled face.

Reaching to the back of my ear, I pulled back a piece of soggy old food from there, pieces of eggshell sticking onto it, and tossed it to the garbage bag next to me. "It should be good now, try it out."

Hayama nodded, putting down the tray on the table next to her. "Please, have some tea Stark-san."

I got to my feet and took the cup from the tray. "Thanks." I muttered, taking a sip from the hot beverage."

I watched her turned on the faucet, watching it as it ran and drained without filling up the sink, having unclogged it. She sighed happily as she turned it off, shooting me a grateful look. "Thank you. I had no idea so much stuff was stuck in the pipes, I had thought the garbage disposal would get rid of it."

I raised a brow, glancing at the half full bag worth of trash I had found inside the pipes. Obviously it didn't, at least, not with that much junk being tossed in it. She should've just tossed it into the trash instead of just stuffing it into the sink…

"…It happens." I murmured instead, taking another long sip of tea.

She frowned a little, looking up at me a little intensely for a moment, before she handed me a rag that was on the countertop. "Here," She said, gesturing at her face. "You have a some… on you…" She trailed off sheepishly, no doubt knowing why that was.

I took the rag, using it to clean my face. "…Thanks." I gave it back to her when I was done, and she placed it into the sink, no doubt to clean it later

"No, I should be thanking you really. When I had put down the complaint, I didn't think the landlady would send help so quickly."

I shrugged, letting the compliment roll off me like water. "I was around." Was my reply.

Hayama sent me a brief smile. "Yeah…" She trailed off, rubbing her arm quietly.

I finished the last of my tea, before picking up the tool belt the landlady lent me, tying it to my waist, and grabbing the trash bag.

"No, you don't have to do that, I can toss it. I've already given you enough work to do today." The woman protested at my actions.

I shook my head as I finished tying off the bag and picked it up. "It's fine. I can toss it on the way back." I had to give the landlady her tools back after all, and the dumpster was already there, so might as well.

She sent me a shy smile. "I'll walk you out then…"

I nodded, not really caring what she did, as all I knew was that I needed a shower after doing this. As I approached the door though, a small figure jumped in front of me pointing a miniature plastic MA5B at me, a Mark-VI mask on his face.

"Halt!" The kid called out, voice squeaking. "This is Spartan Omega Ultra! Who goes there!"

I raised a brow at the kid, unsure what to do. "Uh… This is Spartan… uh, 117, requesting permission to leave the base sir." I said, unable to come up with another excuse to placate the child.

Still, I almost cursed myself, I wasn't much of a liar, especially when put on the spot like this, but Spartan-117? Seriously? Out of all things…?

The kid paused, before raising up the mask, a pinched look on his face. "You're not the Master Chief!" He said, before he spread his little arms as far as he could. "He's like… thiiiis big! Like a giant!"

I couldn't help it, my lips twitched. "…He's actually bigger. Much bigger."

His eyes shined in excitement as he began to jump up and down slightly. "I know right! And he can take off a tank cannon with his bare hands and shoot it! That's what my friends says! And his dad worked with Master Chief!"

I forced a small smile on my face as I continued to play along. "Oh really? That's crazy..."

He nodded eagerly. "Yeah really! He told me he saved his life! During the Battle of Voi- !"

"Toshi." Hayama interrupted her child before he could continue. "As much as I'm sure Stark-san would like to hear all about Kendo-kun's father's stories, I'm sure he's tired after helping us out with the sink. Now what do we say to people that help us?"

Toshi pouted slightly at the interruption, before he latched onto my leg, giving me a wide smile, a gap between his front teeth. "Thank you, Stark-san!"

I stood there awkwardly as his mother smiled. "Now put away your toys, I'm going to begin making dinner soon, and we're having tempura tonight."

That caused the kid to let go of my leg, grinning giddily as he cheered as small 'yes!' and ran to his room to do just that.

Hamaya looked after her kid fondly. "I know he's a bit of a handful but thank you for being patient with him." She bowed towards me. "It's been a little hard for him after he lost his father during the end of the war, he latches to anyone who will show him attention nowadays." The smile she shot me was tinged with sadness. "Especially if they were in the military."

I cocked my head, feeling a bit awkward at the revelation. "He can tell?"

"He's pretty observant, and the way you act basically screams 'soldier' to him."

"I see…" I trailed off awkwardly, unsure how to take that piece of information. The fact that he seemed to idolize the Master Chief, and me by extension, made me even more unsure on how to proceed with that information. We stood there in silence for a few moments, just standing there for a bit and staring at each other.

Not wanting to deal with the awkward atmosphere any longer, I broke it, giving her a small nod. "Thank you for the tea Hayama-san and have a good night." I said curtly, before turning and opening the door.

She looked a little surprise, but quickly nodded and hurried to the door. "Of course, have a good night as well Stark-san." She bid goodbye with a small wave, closing the door after me.

I sighed as began my trek back down towards the landlady's room. It was surprising, how eager civilians were to vent about events that are currently going on in their life or had already happened. Of course, not all of them were like that, but quite a few I helped out were, constantly chatting about what happened to them recently during their job, an event, or even on the commute back home. I would just work in silence as they talked, nodding every once in a while to show that I was listening. Which I was, just not very interested though. Still, they seemed like the idea that I was listening to them more than the idea that I actually cared, since there's not really much I can do in the first place.

'Want me to kill your annoying boss for you?'

'Want me to kill the kids annoying you and calling you names at work?'

'Want me to kill this person that person is cheating with and show them to their spouse?'

Yeah, I could only imagine how those conversations would go. Since it was either killing or maiming them, and we would all get in trouble if they told on us after maiming them, so killing them would be the safest bet.

I sighed as I disregarded the morbid thoughts, tossing the trash into the dumpster and making my way to the landlady's room. She answered immediately after I knocked, ushering me in as I gave her a brief outline on the statuses of the rooms as I unbuckled the tool belt and placed it on her counter.

"201 had a clogged-up sink, the resident had stuffed up the garbage disposal with too much food and junk, but I was able to fix it. Room 422 and 421, I looked at them, and while they had a small leak through the cold-water tubes, the belt in 422 is torn, and the thermostat in 421 is broken. You're going to have to call someone to fix those, as we don't have the parts." I shrugged. "The resident in 101 wasn't in when I checked while going through the rooms, so I'll have to see that stove another time."

The landlady nodded a bit in approval, before giving me a handful of credits. "Shame you couldn't fix the heaters, and I'll give that boy in 101 a stern talking to as I don't want to waste your time, so a little extra for that." She sighed, leaning back into her chair. "At least you were able to fix the sink, and I know what to look for if they try to bullshit me on the heaters." She waved a hand. "You took all day to do this too, so I left a small thing of food in the fridge for your, go on and help yourself to it."

I pocketed the money hesitantly, frowning. "You didn't have to do that much landlady, I still have leftovers in my room."

She waved me off again, putting a cigarette in her mouth and lighting it. "You're a big man Stark-san, I'm sure a few extra bites isn't going to hurt you, take it. I won't need it." She puffed out a cloud of smoke.

Still frowning, I made my way to her fridge, opening it and finding a tupperware box full of yakitori and rice. I pulled it out, and nodded to her as I made my way out. "Thank you, landlady."

She nodded absentmindingly. "Just make sure to bring back the box when you're done." With that she turned on her television, dismissing me as I walked out.

I sighed as the setting sun greeted me as soon as I stepped outside, looking at the box in my hands and opened it, pulling out a stick of chicken and biting into it as I made my way back to my room.

Another day down, at least this one ended up in a decent meal.

* * *

If someone told me six months ago that I would befriend an alien during the last months of the war and that we would fight side by side through battles of life or death, I would have thought you crazy.

Oh wait, that was almost six _years _ago. Still feels like it was just yesterday sometimes, with me being asleep and all.

If you told me that I would retire and find myself befriending another afterwards, even to go as far as shopping with them every other couple of days, I think I would have actually laughed at it. Depends on who you are.

Miya hummed curiously. "So that's what's going on? You don't know whether to accept the invitation?"

And yet here I am.

I sighed, putting back the ribeye steak I had been examining back in its place. "…Yeah, that's the gist of it I guess."

"Do you want to go?"

Not really. "I'm not sure. I haven't done this sort of thing before, so I don't know what to expect."

"Hm. I'd say you should go."

"And why's that?"

"Well, like you've said, its something you've never done before. You should try it out before you make a final judgement about it. Who knows? You may end up enjoying it."

"I see..." I wasn't sure why I was really talking about this to her, maybe because she out of the people I could get into immediate contact with had seemed understanding of the struggles I had in adapting into civilian culture. Most likely had to do with her very unknown alien origins. Still, there was something about her that made it feel as if we were kindred spirits in some odd way. Either way, talking to her was a lot easier than I expected; well, than the interactions I had with the rest of her kind. Yume had always been talkative around me when she had the chance, which wasn't many, and the only form of interaction I had with Karasuba made me feel that I was better off never doing so ever again.

It really was a wonder, how we fell into this regime. At the moment, she was like a second therapist besides Dr. Miyamoto.

Not that there was anything wrong with the woman, she was very patient, and we hadn't gone through anything that was supposed to be highly classified or made me uncomfortable so far. We were only on our third session right now, soon to be fourth in a few days, but I believe it was going well so far. Perhaps going to this event might show her how far I've come since we first met? Putting my reservations aside, going to this event and informing Dr. Miyamoto about it might add favor in my direction of my improvements in adapting to my new lifestyle. She was already impressed with my almost daily routine of exercising and helping around my living complex, this might be another boon for her to check off.

I hummed as I picked up another package of meat, beef this time. Perfect, I had a coupon for this one. "…I guess I'll give it a shot then."

Even without facing her, I knew there was a smile on the lavenderette's face. "That's probably for the best." I heard her sigh. "Ara, I must be feeling my age, for a friend younger than me to still go out to parties." She sighed dramatically. "Alas, I have to take care a household with two freeloaders that do nothing but laze around and complain."

I put down the beef, blinking as I gave her a pointed look. "Asama-san," I started a bit awkwardly. "…I still think you look good for your age." I didn't know how old she was in truth, she could be younger than me, she could be older, but I still wanted to encourage her somehow.

Miya blinked. "…Flattery will get you nowhere Stark-kun." Despite her words, she hid her smile behind her sleeve as we continued shopping.

…Yeah, there was the probability that I might enjoy myself during this outing, but it wasn't my priority. The main priority was to get together a story good enough to inform Dr. Miyamoto during our next session, regardless of my own apprehension of being part of such a social gathering….

Yeah…

That was the only reason…

"…And I'm telling you Stark-kun, you can't just wrap something in bacon and call it sushi!" Miya giggled as I frowned sternly at her as we continued to walk down the isle, passing on our ideas for new dishes to make.

"Why not?" I shot back curiously. "It would be a more filling way to eat it than just using rice and vegetables." I shrugged. "Or you can use the rice to wrap it afterwards, but the bacon stays."

"No!" She tried to give me a mock glare, but her giggles kept it from being anything I could take seriously, especially when she tried it to hide them behind her sleeve. "There's certain way food must be prepared because of tradition! It's no longer sushi if it's cooked, I thought I taught you better than this!"

I could feel the skin around my mouth tighten slightly in amusement as I shook my head. "I know I still have a lot to learn about cooking, and that there are rules, but can't you make exceptions?"

She turned her head, but I could still see the hints of a smile forming on her cheeks as she sighed dramatically. "Ara, for a teacher to deal with such an ignorant and stubborn pupil, what can I do?"

I gave her an idle glance. "…I am a direct representation of my teacher." I replied to her teasing, shamelessly throwing her under the bus without a shred of remorse.

Her overdramatic gasp of shock filled me with vindication, and it almost made me grin.

Almost.

* * *

"This is gonna be great!" Yasaka exclaimed excitingly as we pulled into the parking lot of a brightly lit building. "I'm so glad you decide to say yes, because I really thought you were going to say 'no' in the end." He laughed as he parked the vehicle. "I don't know what made you decide to come, but I'm glad you did, because tonight is gonna be a lot of fun. Everyone can't wait to meet you after I told them about you." He shot me a grin. "Are you excited?"

I was beginning to regret ever saying yes.

No, wait, I've regretted I since I said yes.

Damn it.

I ran my slightly damp palms through the creases of my slacks for the umpteenth time since I got into the car. It wasn't like there was any remaining creases on them. No, my constant and repeated actions made sure such a thing didn't exist.

I was already was regretting my decision. Have been since I woke up today.

I turned towards Yasaka, face stiff. "Ecstatic." I deadpanned, my voice not betraying the horrible amounts of anxiety that was currently coursing through my system at the moment.

He laughed again, patting me firmly on the shoulder. From how tense my body was, I wasn't expecting the action, and had I to forcefully hold back the urge to let my fist fly into his face. Aside from how deadly that would be for his health, I was supposed to be here for a 'good time', not a long one. Accidently breaking my 'friends' face to start the night would probably be in bad taste for everyone involved.

Unaware of the unintentional danger he placed himself in, Yasaka let out another set of chuckles. "Relax ojii-san. It's gonna be fun! It's just gonna be us, a bunch of women, and loads of drinks!"

I frowned, my fingers actively drumming against my thigh. "…I don't drink alcohol." I was taught to avoid it while training as a child, and never consumed a drop of it as I grew up during the duration of the war. I've seen marines drink rationed alcoholic beverages called 'beers' while onboard starships, watching them make deals between each other and smuggling extra to those who paid, and those who got caught getting into major trouble. Of course, as the war got worse, alcohol privileges on starships became near nonexistent, unable to allow those to become any less than peak efficiency at all times. To be frank, even just hearing of alcohol became a rarity for me during the last ten years of the war, as the casualties began to pile higher and higher without an end in sight, and the deployments becoming more and more frequent until it all blurred together.

So now, with being faced with the opportunity to consume it freely, on top of seeing the effects firsthand, I found myself not wanting a drop of the substance.

"Aw, don't be like that ojii-san." Yasaka whined. "We're supposed to have fun!"

I began to flex my other hand rapidly. "And we have to drink to do that?"

"Well, no, but it helps." He sighed when he realized his reassurance wasn't enough to win me over. "Ok, fine. I don't want you to not have fun alright? If you don't feel like drinking then I won't force you to. This is for you just as much as it is for my job." He smiled. "In fact, I'll introduce you to Kagari-san. He's the one I was telling you about in my job. He's pretty good at helping others relax, even if you're a guy."

I sighed. "Fine." I conceded, ignoring the happy laugh he released as we exited his car. Even though the days were getting warmer, the night air was still quite chilly, and I had put my hands into my suit's pockets. We approached the bar's entrance, where we were met with a rather brawny Caucasian man wearing a black outfit, his arms crossed.

He narrowed his eyes at first, but it eased into a small grin when he recognized Yasaka. "Hey kid, how's it going?" He greeted; his Japanese heavily accented. His eyes then fell on me, his grin faltered slightly when met with the height difference, his head craning upwards. "…And this is the 'old man' you keep talkin' about?" Even with his horrible accent, I felt my eyes narrow at the familiar feeling he excluded.

He's military. Or was, at least. Marine, Navy, Army, I couldn't tell, but I could see the way he held himself. The way his back was arched, his shoulders squared, the buzzcut on his head… his brown eyes focused but distant… It was a look I was all too used to seeing, and after dealing with the undisciplined way civilians held themselves, it was a slight relief to see it again after so long.

Likewise, I could see he probably came to the same conclusion, given the slight relaxing of his shoulders as he nodded towards me, which I returned.

Yasaka, unaware of the silent communication between us, replied to the greeting. "Sure is Downes-san. Is everyone here yet?"

The man, Downes, finally removed his eyes away from me, addressing the young Japanese Martian. "Yeah, they already started about half an hour ago. Kagari and the rest had already buttered up the women a good bit already, so it should be too easy for you guys to keep them in a good mood." His grin became a bit forced. "Be careful though, some of the women already had quite a few drinks, so some of them are already a bit drunk, and they aren't shy on letting their hands wander." He warned, his eyes flashing towards me for a second before going back.

I got the message easily enough: _Even if they touch you, don't cause any issues._

Even if it was a warning though, it only succeeded in making me feel even more uneasy about this whole business. I didn't want _anyone_ touching me.

Yasaka laughed off the warning easily enough. "I'd be disappointed if they didn't!" He said merrily as he walked in.

Downes gave us one last nod as we passed. "Have fun guys."

Yasaka took the lead, with me trailing hesitantly behind him, feeling more and more out of place when I saw the vast opulent space. All brick walls and dark wood with plush sofas and swinging chandeliers, with a definite western motif taking precedence in the appearance. Bar itself was just as fancy, with the shelves behind it lined with expensive looking bottles which marked labels I didn't recognize. Music entered my ears, the soft buzzes and bass beats of the noise surrounding us as we walked further inside.

"Look who decided to finally show up!" Oh, yeah, it was also quite packed to the brim with customers, the clinking of glass, eager chatter and laughter and a smell of sweet and musky smelling antiseptic assaulted my senses. The energy of the interior almost blistering at the intensity it was at. Almost intoxicating even.

I breathed in and out, trying to keep the shakiness out of it as we were approached by the patrons of the building.

"Sorry about that!" Yasaka laughed as he shook hands with several men and women, all whom were outfitted in fancy suits of different styles. "I got a little lost on the way here!"

"I'd say! We'd were beginning to think that MLX you bought finally broke down and we'd have to get you instead!" They shared a laugh, and I swallowed when their energetic gazes fell on me, a few of them going wide as they took in my stature. "So this is the guy you were talking about? He's bigger than I expected!"

I tried to relax my face enough to force out a tight smile, something that a few people backed away from. "Uwa, he's also scarier looking than I expected too…"

Yasaka, quickly running damage control, laughed, patting me on the bicep. "Don't worry! He's just stiff is all, he doesn't go out too much in the first place." He then glanced at me, before he gave me a curious look. "Then again, he does have the eyes of a dead fish." He admitted.

For some unfathomable reason, I felt myself become a bit annoyed at the comparison, my eyebrow twitching slightly. "I do not." I muttered coldly.

I was ignored, and the rest of the hosts approached me, most likely emboldened by Yasaka's reassurances that I wasn't that scary. I shook each of their hands, pursing my lips when some of them decided to pat me on the side in addition. Though, I did have to say, I didn't expect a group of well-dressed men to be… well… so feminine looking. Their well-groomed hairstyles that fell past their necks, soft angular faces with a layer of makeup on top of them, with a few of them having rather scrawny, petite figures. Hell, I've met many women back in the military with more muscle than these guys. Still, I remained polite the entire time I shook their hand, though I did notice I never meet this 'Kagari' fellow the bouncer spoke of.

It was when I got to the women that things got… a little complicated… most of them were respectful, but a few of them, the ones who were inebriated by then, were…. Uh…

* * *

I sat against the couch stiffly as the woman continued running her hand down my arm, a mischievous look on her face as she did so.

"Ah~." She moaned softly as continued her actions. "You've got such big arms." She gave me a saucy smirk that left me even more uncomfortable. "I wonder how they would feel wrapped around me."

The urge to throw her off me as hard as possible became harder and harder to fight as any sense of personal space was destroyed by this woman. It didn't help that she was also tugging slightly at the hem of her dress, exposing more and more of her cleavage as she did so, and the faint smell stuck to her breath reminded me of the one Yasaka had when we first met.

"So what's a big strong foreigner like you doing in little old Japan?" I leaned my face away as I felt her snuggle her face on my shoulder, a bit of her make-up smearing on my sleeve as she took another lazy sip of her drink.

Unfortunately, she really was drunk, and didn't seem to be do bothered when she finished the last of her glass, sighing as she leaned against me once more.

"…" I remained silent, hoping she would understand how much I didn't want her so close to me.

It didn't work at all. "Silent and mysterious huh?" She giggled, and I winced when I felt her hand land on my thigh. "I like it~."

I took a shuddering breath and gripped her wrist firmly, feeling her flinch slightly at the small amount of pressure I placed on it.

That's it, enough was enough.

"Ahahah!" We looked up when one of the hosts approached us with Yasaka by his side, a grin on his face. "Shitori-san, why don't I join you guys for a minute?" He looked towards me. "Why don't you and Yasaka-kun get us some drinks?" He asked with a wink, and it only took me a moment to realize what he was doing.

I moved her hand off of me, and got up off the couch, ignoring her whines of protest, which were quickly shut down by the host as he began to do his job.

I sighed in relief as I saddled up next to Yasaka, who didn't look all that pleased.

"…I can't believe it..." Grouched Yasaka as he pulled me towards the bar.

"W-What was that about?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly as we got into safe distance away from the group.

Yasaka turned to give me a disbelieving glare, jabbing his finger in my direction. "How?! How did you just have her all over you so quick? Is it cause you're a foreigner?!"

I shivered, my body still tingling in the locations where I got groped at rather viciously. "…I don't know." I said honestly, just as incensed at what just happened as he was. "Is that stuff normal?"

"'Is that stuff normal' he says." He continued to grumble. "What do you think ojii-san? You had her attention the moment you decided to take off your coat. Showing off your damn muscles like that. The hell…"

"…I don't get it…" I muttered as I sat down on the stool by the bar with him. "I took it off because it was kind of warm, I didn't expect her to…" I wrung my hands as I shuddered slightly, feeling a little violated.

"Stark-san…" Yasaka finally seemed to understand that I wasn't trying to mess with him turning a worried eye towards me. "…You don't like being touched. Do you?"

I shook my head, keeping my head down. It had been extremely hard, to not retaliate.

I had stood naked in front of scientists many times before, been poked and probed when I first was getting used to my augmentations. I didn't like it of course, who would, but there was a sense of professionalism that was there that caused me to trust them to do their job correctly.

The fact that the barrier between professionalism and evasive had been broken so easily left me with an uneasy feeling.

Yasaka frowned, before turning to the bartender with two fingers raised. "Two shots of rum please Hibiki-san." He ordered, and she nodded, before grabbing a bottle of the shelf and bringing out two glasses.

I blinked, before I sighed in slight exasperation, no longer surprised to see that she wasn't a human either, and instead an alien as well.

Seriously. Talk about a small world.

This one was dressed in a purple blouse with a black skirt, a bartender uniform it looked like. She had a slender build with long black hair that framed her face and was worn into two ponytails, finished with off with narrow hazel eyes. I also realize there was the odd aroma of ozone as she got closer.

Hm. Strange…

Yasaka nodded in thanks as she gave him the two glasses filled with brown liquid.

I raised a brow when he slid me one of them. "Here. Take a shot with me, it'll help relax you."

I took the glass as he raised his, taking a small sniff of the liquid. I immediately scrunched up my nose when the strong smell of sweetened ethanol stung it viciously. "What is this?"

"It's liquor."

I frowned. "Alcohol?" I put the glass down when he nodded, pushing it away from me. "Pass."

I ignored him as he whined about being a 'killjoy' and that I should live a little, but he soon relented to my stubborn stance on drinking, eventually taking the two 'shots' for himself as he began to chat with the alien Hibiki.

"So," He began as he put his first empty shot back down. "Where's Hikari and J.D. at? I thought they would have already been here by now?"

Hibiki smiled politely as she passed me a glass of water, which I took gratefully. "They had something to deal with a couple of blocks over. We had a bit of a rough morning, so I went ahead while those two slowly crawled out of bed."

She blushed a bit, her smile becoming a bit genuine when Yasaka began to mutter about 'lucky bastards' under his breath.

He smiled at her as he raised his remaining glass to his lips. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if J.D. fell asleep on the way here and Hikari had to carry him. I swear, it's like he's narcoleptic or something."

They shared a laugh as he downed his drink.

And that's when I caught the distinct smell of ash when someone sat next to me.

"So this is where you were Yasaka." The newcomer said.

I was about to turn, but I caught Yasaka's eyes bulging, and was barely able to close mine in time when he suddenly sprayed the liquor in his mouth all over my face.

"K-K-K-Kagari-san!" He shrieked as I grimaced.

Shit. This stuff freaking _burned_.

"Well then…" The newcomer hummed amusingly, and I felt a napkin being placed into my hand, which I gratefully took, removing my glasses and using it to remove the dripping liquid from my face. "So you're the friend he kept talking about eh?"

"And you must be his boyfriend he's been talking about so much." I replied testily, as I was pretty annoyed with trying to dry out the area in between my eyes from Yasaka's backwash, the burning sensation growing a bit.

I hope none got in my eyes.

I felt Yasaka tightly grip my arm. "Shut up," He hissed, and it didn't take a genius to know he was embarrassed. "I already told you he's not my boyfriend, so stop saying that stuff!"

"Heh," I heard Kagari chuckle. "He's funny at least."

"Wh-where were you at Kagari-san? We thought you left when we didn't see you!"

We? What's this _we_ business?

_He_ was the one looking for the guy.

As I put down the towel from my face to dry out my glasses, I examined the surprisingly male alien sitting next to me. Like the other hosts, he had delicate features and a thin frame, a black suit with a white shirt covering it, though the latter was unbuttoned to almost exposing the entirety of his chest, his jacket hung from his arm. Well styled grey hair sat on top of his head. All in all, he looked like a highly attractive member of the human race, a trait shared by the others of his species, but from his job as a host, it was one he used to his advantage.

"Yeah, I felt a little unwell earlier, so I went to the restroom for a bit to calm down." Kagari admitted.

"Ah! I'm so sorry to hear that! I hope you get better soon!" To my surprise, and slight annoyance, Yasaka began to profusely bow towards the male alien who he obviously admired.

Seriously? Wish he'd show me that damn respect.

Damn kids nowadays.

Still, I found myself relaxing a little as I realized the two aliens weren't showing any hostile intent. Even with my frequent grocery outings with Miya, it was still strange to imagine non-humans around humans so easily, adapting to a culture and society that weren't their own.

I ignored the slight irony in that when I remembered my own position, placing my now dried glasses back on my face.

Good, it seemed like they still worked.

"That's right! This is one of my neighbors back at my apartment, John Stark." With Yasaka's enthusiastic introduction of me, I prepared to give a tight smile to Kagari in hopes he didn't realize I knew he wasn't human.

What I certainly didn't expect was his face to become a bright red when he faced me. "Guh…" The previously composed alien let out a sound between a wheeze and a choke as he suddenly grabbed his chest tightly, his jacket falling onto the floor.

The aroma of ash suddenly became so heavy I could almost taste it.

Yasaka released a cry of surprise when Kagari's body began to smoulder, and a familiar, nauseatingly sweet and steaky smell came to form.

The smell of flesh burning.

When all the male alien could do was sputter and cough weakly as his body began to burn in front of our eyes, I simply grabbed my glass of water and threw it at him.

It seemed like the bartender Hibiki had the same idea as she followed suit.

"Are you okay Hom- Kagari?" I narrowed my eyes at her slight hiccup, but ignored it as I eyed the panting alien warily.

Yasaka looked seconds away from a flat-out panic attack as he stood up and walked next to him, wringing his hands nervously as now dripping wet Kagari made to stand from his seat.

I leaned forward, making to push him back into his seat. "Relax, you need to-" We both flinched as I made contact, a sharp tingling sensation going through my body, immediately stepping back when he aggressively slapped my hand away from him, throwing my chair onto the floor in the process.

The entire bar was silent, the soft music pulsating softly being the only noise, everyone's attention focused on what was occurring.

Realizing what he had done, the alien tried his best to regain his composure. "Sorry," He said when he regained enough of it, giving me a slight bow. "I don't like being touched."

I nodded curtly, relaxing my stance a bit. "Understood."

"Are you okay Kagari-san?" Yasaka asked nervously.

"I…" Kagari kept his gaze at me as he began to scratch at his chest. "I think I might be sicker than I thought." He finally admitted, and I had to agree with him, especially with how haggard he looked the longer he looked at me. Though I did lean back a little.

Alien germs; didn't particularly want them.

"Your name," He rasped. "It's John Stark, right?"

I nodded, albeit hesitantly. "That's right." The scent of burning flesh was gone, while the ash scent was a lot more tolerable now.

"Sorry for making a scene." Kagari finally looked away, staggering a bit, and I had to hold back the urge to try and help him, with what happened just a few moments ago. "I think I'm going to go home and try to forget this ever happened." I watched him as he stumbled his way to the front.

"Ah," Hibiki spoke. "Wait! Your jacket you-." She fell silent when he went through the door, ignoring her completely.

We stood there in silence for a while, in which I noticed the hushed whispers and murmurs of the other patrons who stared at us. Yasaka kept rubbing his hands nervously and even Hikari began rubbing her arm a bit self-consciously.

Unable to deal with the tense atmosphere, I sighed, throwing my jacket on as I reached down to grab Kagari's. "I'll get it to him." I told them as I followed after him, ignoring Yasaka's protests to not leave.

With the way he was staggering, he couldn't have gone too far. Even if I may be the last person he wanted to see, it would at least be the right thing to do.

* * *

Aaaaand there he goes.

Yasaka sighed, falling back into his seat as the old man left, a determined look on his face.

'_What a boy scout.'_ He ignored the part of himself that was a bit jealous that he didn't think of that first.

"Man," He whined. "So much for a good night." It was supposed to be simple, have some drinks and a good time. Then Kagari-san saw the old man's face and almost suffered from some seizure, like he was about to combust.

Then the old man threw water on him! That's why he probably left! He would've been mad if someone did the same to him!

Though it was a bit weird that he started smoking like he did…

Yasaka sighed, turning away from the gazes of his fellow hosts as he turned to the counter, burying his face in his hands.

"Uhg." He moaned. "What just happened Hibiki-san?" He frowned a bit worryingly when he noticed her looking after their departure with narrowed eyes.

"Hibiki-san?" he tried again nervously.

The ravenette blinked, before she gave him a strange smile, shrugging. "…Not sure." Was her reply as she fished out her phone. "I'll be back. Be a sweetheart and watch the front for a bit okay?" She went to the back before he could utter a protest, watching helplessly as was left on his own.

"…" He shrunk as he held his head in his hands, doing his best to ignore the growing whispers behind him. "…Damn it…"

What the hell was going on?

Yasaka continued to sit there for a while, moping as the other patrons eventually dismissed what had happened, returning to their groups when they lost interest.

He blinked, looking up when the front door rang, and a figure walked in. "Ojii-san…" He trailed off uncertainly when a cloaked young teenage boy walked in. He didn't even look a day older than fifteen.

The kid looked around curiously. "Ano, do you know of any Sekirei that work here? A No. 11 and No. 12? Maybe the Guardian Sekirei?" He asked when he didn't seem to find what he was looking for.

Yasaka blinked, not having a clue what he was talking about. "Uh, not that I know of." He raised a brow. "Are you sure your supposed to be here kid? This place is for adults, and you don't look old enough to drink."

The kid frowned a little. "Oh? Is that the type of place this is?" He shuffled something by his side. "Is that why this guy tried to stop me?" He raised what was in his hand.

Yasaka felt his stomach drop as Downes severed head was held in it, the mangled neck still dripping with fresh blood, his face frozen forever in shocked horror. Several gasps were heard as the other patrons focused their attention to the front of the bar.

The monster gave it a small shake, uncaring of the blood that hit his shoes when he did. "He told me the same thing, that I wasn't supposed to be here." His lips twitched, as if he was trying to refrain laughing from something he found funny. "I guess it doesn't matter anymore, does it Mister?"

The host felt his stomach recoil in disgust as the boy mimicked the head shaking its head in negative. "Yeah. I thought so too, thanks mister."

Yasaka just stood there, his body trembling as he stared in utter shock at what he was seeing. Not even reacting when he saw the three other people in cloaks walk in , flanking the monster, nor when Hibiki finally came from the back of the bar.

"What's going-?" He heard her inhale sharply as she saw the situation, catching the attention of the kid and his compatriots. "Shit…"

"No. 12." The kid grinned viciously, showing off his pearly whites. He threw Downes head into the air, like one would when discarding trash. "For the sake of our Master, you need to be exterminated."

The scent of ozone suddenly filled the room.

The head hit the floor with a bloody splat.

Yasaka screamed.

* * *

I sighed as I scanned the area once more for the gray-haired alien. I didn't get it, with the way he was stumbling, he shouldn't have gone that far before I would've caught up to him. It was like he upped and vanished into thin air.

I frowned, before looking upwards, between the tall buildings surrounding me.

Could they really jump that far? I have seen them jump from rooftop to rooftop, but to jump almost ten stories high with just pure leg strength alone?

I hummed as I bunched up the coat beneath my arm. The scent of ash had disappeared a few blocks ago, so perhaps it was safe to say that I wouldn't be catching up to him anytime soon. I wasn't giving up, just seeing the futility in trying to catch him if that was the case.

I kept my stride a leisure one as I made my way back to the bar, one thought firmly in my head.

This night did not go the way I expected.

Then again… What did I expect?

Either way, I was officially finished with the night. Sure Yasaka might not be too happy with it, but with how embarrassed he was when I left, I don't think he'll put up too much resistance to the idea of going home. I figured it would be a bad idea, but now I could safely say that I tried, and it just didn't work out for me.

I turned the corner, the bar just a few blocks away now.

I raised hand, rubbing my eyes tiredly. Yeah, I was ready to call it a night, for once I felt pretty tired, so a warm futon to sleep in sounded pretty nice just about now.

I dropped my hand, only to freeze when a particular smell hit my nose. A familiar, iron scent.

Blood.

I exhaled, my body becoming tense as I scanned the streets as I walked, my back hunching slightly, looking for any suspicious activity.

Noth-

An overwhelming smell of ozone.

The bar erupted in a shower of purple lightning, and a familiar alien female flew out of it, smashing into a car at the nearby parking lot. She got up, panting slightly, clothes torn, before she lifted her hand.

Purple lightning crackled around it furiously, and she pointed it at the bar just as another figure came barreling towards her. The lightning flew from her fingertips, slamming onto the building as the figure gracefully jumped over it, and I could hear Hibiki swear as she jumped away just as the cloaked figure's leg pulverized the car she had landed on.

I watched the figure give chase as Hibiki began to run, and three more figures jumped from the bar in pursuit.

I was about to give chase, but paused in my tracks, my eyes wandering towards the ruined entrance of the bar.

I had to at least check on them.

I approached the entrance, steeling myself further with each step, to the point I was surrounded in a familiar cold shell of calm and dispassion by the time I arrived at the front.

And was met with Downes' headless, bleeding corpse.

I frowned, kneeling by the it as I examined the area where his head had been ripped from his shoulders. The clothes were relatively unruffled, displaying no signs of a struggle. Blood was speckled on the top of his shirt, blending in deeper and deeper into the fabric as the body continued to bleed. The flesh around his neck was twisted and warped- perhaps it had been twisted off? In order to do that, the assailant must've been physically powerful to do so.

Either way, the man I had known as Downes was dead, nothing more but another corpse on the floor. Brief anger filled me at seeing an innocent being involved in the crossfire, if he wasn't outright murdered.

Another person I couldn't save…

I pushed the feeling I felt away as I began to pillage his body. He had been a guard for this establishment, one who had been ex-military on top of that, so if my guess was correct…

I wrapped my fingers around the weapon concealed in a holster he had strapped to his waist, pulling it out with a small tug. I blinked as I realized what I had wasn't a firearm I was too familiar with.

A Model 33 Revolver if I was correct, a weapon that I rarely saw used in combat during the war. It was usually used for home defense and law enforcement for the civilian world compared to the standard issue M6 series of sidearms the UNSC had. I believe even some of the Insurrectionists had used them too during our brief skirmishes back early in the war. If I remember correctly, it used 12.7x30mm ammunition, which was a tad weaker when compared to the M6's 12.7x40mm ammunition.

I examined the weapon, testing its lighter weight. I ejected the cylinder, six rounds staring back at me.

Hm. The barrel was aligned to the bottom of the cylinder. I would have to compensate accordingly for that when I aimed down the iron sights.

I closed it, before reaching around the body, finding two speed-loaders on it that I quickly deposited into my pocket before I left the corpse behind, loaded weapon in hand.

Saddling up next to the smashed entrance, I peeked around it. Dust and smoke greeted me, but I could make multiple figures staggering through it. Bringing my weapon to the low-ready position, I made my way inside.

Whimpering and hushed words caught my ear as I scanned the room, approaching the figure crouched by the bar.

"Yasaka." I called out, and the figure flinched, before the young man turned, showing his bloodied, terrified face.

"O-Ojii-san…" He whimpered, and that's when I noticed his hands that were covered in blood. "T-The bleeding. It w-w-won't stop."

I thought he was wounded for a second, but as I got closer, I realized he was crouched over one of his fellow hosts.

"They started to attack Hibiki, a-a-and," He began to cry as he stared at his bloody hands, shaking. "He jumped in front of me w-w-when one of them threw a-a-a weapon."

I kneeled next to the unmoving man, taking note of the amount of blood surrounding him, and the knife sticking from his chest above his heart. I already knew the reality of the situation, but I still brought my finger to his neck, checking for a pulse.

None. He was dead. Another civilian, caught in the crossfire.

Next to me, Yasaka let out a heavy sob. "I-," He choked. "I don't know what to do…" I removed my fingers from the corpse and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Yasaka." I kept my voice steady and calm as I called out for him. I gave him a strong shake when he continued to whimper. "Yasaka." I added more force into my voice, and that broke him from his reverie as he stared at me with trembling eyes.

"Listen," I began, staring him hard in the eyes. "Gather everyone, get out towards the parking lot. The people who did this are already gone, so call the police. They'll take care of you."

Yasaka heaved violently, as the shock finally began to leave his system, the reality of the situation causing him to lose focus.

I gave him a firm shake. "Don't." I snapped, and he looked at me with wide eyes. "I need you here. I need you to do this."

He shook his head. "I-I can't. I can't do-"

"Yasaka," He stiffened when I growled at him, a certain edge in my voice. "I need you to call the police. You think you can do that at least?"

I forced myself to soften slightly when he nodded, fumbling out his phone and pressing it to his ear.

Taking my attention away from him for moment, I looked around. The rest of the patrons didn't look to be injured, just scared and confused. Some where crying, or were in various states of shock, but aside from some dust on their clothes, they looked relatively unharmed.

I pursed my lips.

I hated to have to do this, but those aliens were still out there fighting. More civilians were likely to get caught in the crossfire if nobody stopped them. I don't know what was Hibiki's part in this, but whoever attacked her obviously had no regard for human life. On top of that they were also highly dangerous, with abilities and powers that were bordering on supernatural.

Even as through I kept my exterior calm, I let a familiar cold rage burn deep within me. Either way, getting civilians caught up in a battle between them and getting them killed. That was unacceptable.

Someone was going to pay for this.

I wasn't going to rest until someone did.

"Yasaka," he looked up as I called. "Give me your car keys."

* * *

The engine of the vehicle roared as I kept my foot firmly pressed onto the pedal. The tires squealing as I made a sharp turn, following the trail of destruction their battle was leaving behind.

I was wondering if all the news cover ups recently was for these type of battles. From the destruction and property damage, it matched a lot of the mysterious 'gas leaks' or 'earthquakes' going on in the city almost every other day.

Was this what really happened?

The tires squealed again as I forced the sportscar to make another sharp turn, bumping the top of my head on the ceiling in the process. I could see the purple flashes of lightening in the distance a few blocks down, which meant I was closing in fast.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Good.

I blinked when I suddenly heard the sound of chopper blades above me. I grabbed the revolver from its secure place between the seat and center console when a loud thud sounded from the top of the vehicle.

Someone had landed on the ceiling.

I pointed the weapon at the passenger side window when a familiar, wholly unwelcomed, ashen haired woman poked her head down. The same, genial smile on her face.

Karasuba waved at me from her position cheekily, and I sighed in exasperation, before rolling down the window. She disappeared for a moment, before reappearing again as she entered feet first, landing onto the open seat, before slouching against it lazily.

I shot her a wary glance, before focusing once more on my targets.

"Maa," I heard her sigh. "Not even a 'hi' or 'how are you doing'? I'm a little hurt Jo-chan."

"What do you want?" I replied coldly. I didn't have time for this, I needed to stop the aliens from rampaging any further.

"So cold," Her smile didn't match her words. "I'm just wondering what you're doing. Finally went senile?"

I swerved the car again as they went down a different road, scrapping against the parked cars.

Damn it, all this civilian traffic was getting in the way.

"Cleaning up your mess." She quirked a brow at my answer.

"How so? There are rules we have to follow you know. We're not supposed to hurt humans."

"Tell that to the two murdered civilians back at the bar."

She shrugged, much to my growing aggravation. "What can I say, some are more prone to mistakes than others. But they still broke the rules, which means I have to deal with them."

"Then what took you so long?"

"It's not like we're doing nothing. I'm here aren't I?"

"…Not good enough." I growled, and her smile lessened a bit, her narrowed eyes opening slightly.

I ignored her, keeping my refocusing myself on the road. Now there were two flashes of purple lightning, did that mean Hibiki finally reunited with an ally during the chase? Where they even enemies? Or allies?

Doesn't matter.

What does matter- as I put the pedal to the medal, the engine screaming as I forced it to go as fast as possible.

Is that I finally caught up.

One of the cloaked aliens turned, a female, her eyes going wide as she noticed me. Right before I rammed the car into her. She bounced of the hood, going headfirst through the windshield.

She groaned, shards of glass puncturing her face, blood beginning to pour out her wounds.

I didn't hesitate. I stomped on the brake, the vehicle coming to a squealing stop, grabbing her by her brown locks of hair with one hand so she wouldn't fly out. I pushed the barrel of the revolver against her head with the other and pulled the trigger.

Twice.

Crimson blood and bits of bone splattered onto the remnants of the windshield as the alien jerked with the gun going off, her body suffering from cadaveric spasms as she died.

So even with all their strength, a bullet to the head was enough to do them in.

Good to know.

Curiously enough, a small flare of light came from her neck, lasting a few seconds before disappearing.

Karasuba blinked, idly wiping off the blood and piece of gray matter that landed on her cheek. "…Well then." She muttered idly as she took in my handiwork.

Despite myself I raised an eyebrow, a little nonplused at her lack of concern of my blatant execution of one of her species.

Her smile became a bit wolfish when she noticed, waving her hand carelessly. "Don't mind me. I'm just here for the show now. Just do what comes natural." With her piece said she reclined against the seat.

I frowned but decided to ignore her, getting out the car. I heard someone scream in rage and looked over only to quickly jerk my head to the side as a knife meant to get me in between the eyes sailed across.

Seems like I had their attention.

Oddly enough, it wasn't one of the aliens that did that, but a young human male. One who looked parts furious and on the edge of a nervous breakdown, with tears in his eyes and a snarl on his face as he sprinted over towards me with another knife in his hand, screaming.

"You bastard!" He shouted as he tried to get close.

I didn't give him the chance, immediately putting two rounds in his kneecaps, blowing them apart. He fell onto the ground, sputtering and sobbing violently as he lost his ability to walk. I just raised an eyebrow, wondering if he expected things to go differently.

What was his problem in the first place?

I dismissed my thoughts and his screams as I scanned the area, immediately taking to account a haggard and injured Hibiki, parts of her bartender clothes torn and wounds littering her body. Next to her stood another woman who looked to be a spitting image of her, the only difference being a bustier chest than her. A sister?

If I wasn't in 'battle mode', I would've been bewildered by the rather risqué leather outfit she wore, heavily exposing her shoulders, navel, and bits of her thighs.

Choice of clothing and sharing similar appearances aside, they both had purple lightning crackling between their fingertips, looking a bit bewildered from my sudden entrance.

Next to them, a man stood, dressed in dark clothing with a cap over his head, hood covering that as well. Sleepy green eyes roamed over me for a moment, before he went in front of the aliens a bit. A protective gesture.

Hm.

I looked towards their 'opposition', discarding the two I just took care of, there was three aliens remaining. Three female- I squinted.

Two females, and one male; I quickly amended.

Behind them, two human males, and one female.

The aliens were dressed in cloaks, hiding most of their body away from me. The two females held weapons in their hands, one with knives while the other had bladed disks. The male was unarmed as far as I could tell, and was the only one with his hood down, revealing a full head of gray hair.

…What was the deal with aliens and gray hair?

He gave me a curious look, even as the two females gave me frightened looks from their positions.

"Amebane, m-maybe we should-." The human female wearing a black lacy dress behind them spoke up nervously, the two human males next to her shuffling nervously. Their eyes widened when I leveled the revolver in my hand at them.

I had threats to eliminate.

The male alien was already on the move, the once languid look on his face replaced with a sadistic smile as he raced towards me.

"Take care of the twins!" He cackled as I fired at him, weaving through the bullets almost effortlessly. "He's mine!"

I frowned as the revolver clicked empty after firing the last two rounds, and risked a reload, my hands flying as I grabbed one of the speed loaders in my pocket, rapidly backing up in order to keep some distance.

Time slowed to a crawl.

The intimately familiar sensation was a welcomed one, and unlike the last times, there wasn't a reason not to fully embrace it.

It was a phenomenon that occurred as a result of the extensive augmentation procedures done to my body. One that Kelly unoriginally dubbed, 'Spartan Time'.

I could remember the face Halsey had made when I told her the new name we came up with for our new ability. I also remember how some of the geekier techs had reacted to it, calling it something 'straight out of a comic book' or the like.

We were given a small brief of the augmentations given to us, to explain the bleeding we suffered from our eyes at random intervals during our recovery. We found out the phenomenon was due to the combination of two in particular: Occipital Capillary Reversal and the Superconducting Fribrification of Neural Dentaries.

The former had produced an increase in visual perception, allowing me to see in complete darkness with perfect clarity. On top of that it also allowed me to perceive images far faster than the limits of the average human being.

The latter had increased my reaction speed by a multiple of three hundred, along with giving me an increase to intelligence, and memory.

With the two combined, our reaction time became impossible to chart accurately by the scientists watching over us. Technically speaking though, it was estimated at twenty milliseconds. The reason being that during combat situation, we were noted to have significantly faster reactions then the ones recorded. Assistance from an AI would make us even faster.

In these heightened states of stress, we were able to think, react, and see things as if everything were simultaneously moving at a slow and rapid pace.

Which was why I was a little surprised to see the alien moving rather quickly even with 'Spartan Time'. It wasn't anything too alarming, as he was still rather slow, but it reminded me on how fast Yume had been. How quickly she had held me back. I was not going to underestimate their species and allow that event to happen again.

Still, as I closed the now full cylinder back into the revolver, I found myself slightly irked to see how slow I was outside of my armor. It had taken me a whole two seconds to reload it, and by then the alien was on top of me, even with the distance I put between us. He wouldn't have closed so much distance to me had I my armor on.

I gave up on shooting him while he was so close, switching to CQC as he descended into an axe kick from his position a few feet in the air after pushing off the nearby streetlight.

Not having enough room or time to maneuver to the side; I raised my left arm to block his attack.

_Contact._

The bones in my arm rattled as it absorbed the force from the kick, my feet skidding few inches, and I grounded my jaw as let the pain flow through. I held steady easily enough, and with him still in the air wrapped my hand around his leg, clenching tightly. Before I pointed the revolver to his head, determined to end this as quick as possible.

Unfortunately, the alien, Amebane, took the weapon in account, as he used his free leg to kick the revolver as hard as he could. The shot missed and the revolver went flying, but I didn't pause for a moment, twisting my body and using my strength to smash the alien onto the concrete road.

He gasped as he bounced, before I snapped my leg forward, trying to deliver a finishing kick to his head. He had quickly raised his arms in response, blocking it as it landed. The satisfying feeling of a one of his arms breaking from the hit filled my ears, along with his pained cry as he went flying. Still, that kick had enough force to break a pulverize a normal human, which said much on their constitution.

"A-Amebane!" The human woman to the side cried out as she rushed to his side, much to my consternation. Why was she willingly putting herself in danger? "Th-this is bad! He might be with the Disciplinary Squad! W-We need to hurry up and get out of here before-"

I narrowed my eyes when he threw her of him viciously, a snarl on his face as he looked at me. "Shut up you stupid pig! Can't you see that I'm in a middle of a fight!"

The woman stared at him with teary eyes. "B-But-."

He threw off his cloak, revealing the black top with wrist length gloves and ankle pants. "Who cares about that!" He turned back towards me, the sadistic smile on his face growing wider. "I'm having heaps of fun now!"

I pursed my lips, a little incensed on his bloodthirst even with a broken arm that was already swelling.

"But I don't want you to get hurt-." The girl again weakly, much to his visible agitation.

"Didn't I tell you to shut it?! You stupid pig!" He barked at her, and she flinched at his biting words.

"Th-That's so mean!" She whined piteously. "B-But I still love you anyway Amebane~!"

"Shut up! That's gross, you ugly pig!"

I just stared.

What the hell was this?

Amebane wasn't done verbally abusing her though. "The only reason I have you as my Ashikabi is so I could release my true ability! Aside from that I hate you! Got it?!" She just squirmed, teary eyed at his words, but blushing quite heavily too.

"…." An Ashikabi. So that's what she was.

…_Birds that teach love. The rumored name of our species…_

I let Yume's words from back then wash over me, feeling a little angry and betrayed at that lie. I didn't consider myself an expert to explain what 'love' was, but I sure as hell knew it wasn't what I was seeing now. Not this… disgusting abuse.

And they were supposed to be a species that devoted themselves to love and helping others find love? I snorted. I almost believed her too, but in the end I knew it was too good to be true. There was no such thing in the end.

"As for you human," I discarded the thoughts as Amebane placed his attention back towards me. "I don't know what you think you're doing or what you are, but you're strong." He began to bounce on the balls of his feet, grin firmly back into place. "So show me a good time!" He roared as he kicked off the floor, flying towards me.

I centered my body, controlled my breathing, and met him head on.

I parried the first blow, letting it swerve around me, twisting my body and throwing an elbow to his face. It connected, but he moved with the blow, negating most of the force from it. It still caused him to lean back, to which he raised his leg, the kick catching me on the side.

I clamped down on it instantly, bringing my elbow down to his knee, intent on breaking it. I had to discard that in order to block another kick to the face as he twisted his body, pushing off of me and freeing himself.

"Hehehe," He cackled. "Serious huh! That's it! That's it!" He flew towards me once more. "That's the way it's meant to be!"

Frowning, I met him again, cautiously parrying and counterattacking a few more times before I came to a realization.

That this was all he had. He had the strength and he had the speed. It was his technique that was holding him back, as I could see every punch, every kick from a mile from how badly he telegraphed his intent. It was like I was facing a complete amateur in the ring with how he jumped and did all these fancy, complex doing moves instead of going for a more practical approach.

Either way, it was time to end this. I was only cautious because I wasn't aware of his abilities, being the first of their kind I was able to engage in combat with. I had expected myself to be pushed to the brink without my armor, as my reflexes and strength were not up to par with what I had grown used to inside of it, but it turned out I was worrying for nothing.

Maybe if I took more time off before finding myself in this type of situation, perhaps retiring a few years prior to accumulate that rust. For the current me though, the war had ended not even two months ago, leaving my body combat ready.

I parried the straight punch, delivering a kick to his head, face first. I felt his nose get crushed as it met my shin, and when I dropped it, blood spewed out from the damage as he yelled in pain.

He jumped away, but not before I was able to get two more jabs to his rapidly swelling face, dazingly stumbling as he tried to recover.

I ran at him, twisting my body away from his blind hammer punch, and grabbed him by the hair, bringing my knee to his face savagely. I felt something else give way under my blow.

Amebane screamed, twisting himself away from me, uncaring of the tuffs of hair that were scalped from him as he did so. His face was a mess, his nose crushed, and his cheekbone caved in. I felt some measure of satisfaction when I saw he now no longer sported that disgusting smile on his face, which was instead replaced by anger that held traces of fear within.

"Itsuki!" He roared, blood and spittle flying from his mouth. "You disgusting pig! I need to Norito!"

His Ashikabi, Itsuki, perked up, a slightly frightened look on her face when she saw his injuries as he landed next to her. "Kyaaa!" she cried out in pain as he pulled her by the hair…

…Into a kiss. Lips, tongue, and all.

Wings of pure white light erupted from his back. They stretched far, strands of nothing more but luminescence given solidity. They curled slightly, seemingly protecting to two. As quickly as they appeared though, they vanished, and I could see something glowing intensely at the base of the alien's neck.

…

…

…What the hell? Are you kidding me? I felt as if there was some type of sick joke being played here, and I-.

I tensed up as the air vibrated with unseen power.

"Amebane…" Itsuki moaned, her face red, before she was shoved away by a palm to the face. "Kyaaa!"

"These are the palms of my pledge," I tensed up when he began to walk towards me confidently. "By my bare hands," The wind around him began to pick up violently around him, centering around his clenched fist. "Destroy the foes of my Ashikabi!" He cried. "Let's finish this! Human!" He spat, before charging at me, faster than he was previously. "MEGAFIST!"

My mind blanked for a millisecond, automatically adjusting to the exponential stress being placed on it when faced with the heightened threat in front of me.

If I took that hit, I was going to die.

I don't know what happened between then and now, perhaps it was the true result of those aliens being 'winged', but I could not allow that attack to land.

Only three options were available for me at this moment: dodge and run, take the initiative, or counterattack.

The first was easily the most rational choice to pick, while the second was almost suicidal in nature. There was just too many factors for the former to happen, as I didn't know what would happen should they miss. There was still plenty of civilians around, taking shelter in nearby buildings. Whatever this attack was, I had the feeling it would leave whatever it was aimed at to rubble, should the hit connect or not.

Collateral damage was not an option.

So that left the last option available to me, to counterattack. It was a gamble, because if I made one error, one lapse of judgement, I likely won't live to learn about it.

That was fine though, because I was going to win, no matter the cost.

This bastard was going to pay for what he did.

I raised my hands to my face, a typical guard for boxing. Waiting. Watching the punch get closer and closer.

I saw his lips curl into a cruel smirk, no doubt thinking he won.

…Unfortunately for him, I wasn't going to happen.

…_Contact…_

When the punch was less than three inches towards my face, I simply weaved towards the side and redirecting the punch with my left hand, watching his eyes go wide in shock as I opened up his guard. A sharp pain erupted from my hand, going from my fingers towards my wrist, and I heard a snapping sound before my ear popped from the amount of air pressure going past it, but I forced myself to ignored it. Instead I went for my counterattack, straightening my index and middle finger together, while curling the rest towards my palm.

Before I jammed them into his eye.

Normal human bones would have broken and fractured when faced with such mass and velocity, unable to deal with the strain. For a Spartan however, the carbide ossification rendering of our bones made them 'virtually indestructible'.

"ARRRRRGGGGGHHHH! **ARRRRRGGGHHH!**"

Amebane released a bloodcurdling scream as my fingers dug knuckle-deep through his eye socket, blood pouring violently from the trauma. I retracted my digits when he fell back while holding his face, flicking away the clumpy remains of his eyeball as I watched him flail.

I was originally going to take care of this as fast as possible.

Then I noticed the blood on his hands as we fought.

There had been two casualties at the bar when I had left. A patron who had taken an unintentional knife to the heart protecting his fellow host, and a brutally beheaded security guard.

I had identified the knife wielder quickly enough, which meant the death of Downes was on this alien. On Amebane. The sadistic, martial artist alien.

It wasn't often Spartan's lost themselves to sadism and rage, as they never went hand in hand well enough for the battlefield. Throughout the war, we contented ourselves to slaughtering the Covenant in masses for the sake of the bloodlust and revenge we felt for the crimes committed against humanity. To avenge the men, women, and children that were slaughtered like cattle.

When our enemy laughed as they did so mercilessly.

When our enemy fed on their remains, seeing us nothing more but meat.

In many ways, Draco III was a defining moment for us Spartans.

It was how we gained the moniker 'Demon', from those in the Covenant for our sheer brutality and unflinching dedication to utterly eradicate our enemies. We became their 'boogeyman' of sorts, able to completely destroy the morale of the many weaker willed species of our enemies with our presence alone.

To our enemies, we were death incarnate.

To our allies, we were heroes. Freaks. Champions. Abnormal.

We bore these labels stoically.

For our duty, as soldiers, was to protect humanity…

…No matter the cost…

Looking away from the crippled alien, I scanned the area, noticing the lack of combat occurring around us.

Hibiki and the leather wearing woman next to her both sported pale faces, looking a little horrified with my actions, while the previously sleepy looking man with them was looking at me with laser precision.

Even the two they were fighting had paused to take a look at my handiwork, the ones with the knives paling slightly. The young men a little way from them just looked a mixture of horrified and disgusted, and I saw one even empty his stomach.

Itsuki was blanked face, looking at the alien she was bonded to with wide eyes, mouth agape.

Karasuba…... well, she was now propped up on the hood of the car, sword laid flat on her lap, looking like she was completely enjoying what she was seeing, judging by the wide smile on her face.

…..

…..

…Was she blushing too?

I frowned, feeling my chest twist oddly at the sight, before deciding to ignore them, moving towards the revolver that got thrown aside, landing near the curb of the street.

I could feel the air was thick with tension as I walked up to the screaming alien, who glared up at me with his remaining eye when he noticed my approach.

"Go to hell!" He screamed, fear and anger prominent in his voice as I leveled the weapon to his head, cocking the hammer back. "You're not human! You goddamn fre-!"

I pulled the trigger.

The now lifeless body fell back, a hole in between his eyes.

"Amebane!" I heard Itsuki shriek in horror.

As the hole began to bleed slightly, I noticed the same bright glow from his neck the other alien had when I had shot her. It lasted for a few seconds before fading.

Curious…

I discarded the thought, deciding to instead confront his remaining allies, who stiffened when they realized my attention turned towards them.

The sounds of sirens and the roar of a pelican sounded in the distance.

The human males next to them seemed panicked. "W-We need to leave! Now!" One cried, and the rest seemed to be in agreement, each grabbing an individual male as they began their retreat.

I leveled my weapon at them as they did so, pulling the trigger right when they were about to take off. The alien with the knives stumbled as the bullet tore through her, and I heard the man cry out in alarm, but she powered through, launching them from the ground onto a nearby rooftop.

I lowered the revolver, not wanting to fire a stray shot, as I watched them get away.

Damn… They sure knew how to jump.

Giving a glance showed the remaining two alien twins and human male giving me cautious looks. I dismissed them, as they hadn't done anything wrong, but I did hope someone talked to them for their lack of constraint around public areas.

Seeing my dismissal, they grabbed the man and jumped off as well.

The sirens and pelican were getting closer, and they were closing in fast.

A low whistle and slow clapping brought my attention to an impressed looking Karasuba, the flush still on her face as she smiled at me. "Not bad, not bad at all Jo-chan." She leered at me. "…Feel like a hero yet?"

This alien… For some reason, the odd churning in my chest became worse when I saw her face. Noticed her heavy breathing. Like something was aching deep within me the longer I looked at her. It caused me to feel a bit dizzy.

An abnormal feeling.

I heard tires squealing, seeing multiple Warthogs with flashing lights on top making their way to our position rapidly. A heavily armed Pelican surrounded by two AV-22 Sparrowhawks soaring high in the air.

Towards me. Surrounded by two alien corpses. A wounded, unconscious man, and a shell-shocked woman.

I almost felt myself sigh in exasperation.

How was I going to explain this?

As if sensing my thoughts, I felt hands grab onto the lapels of my jacket tightly, pulling me down…

…Towards Karasuba's flushed face, a pondering look on it as she examined mine.

"You're pretty good, for a human." She breathed, and I could feel my skin tingle as it came into contact with her warm breath.

For the first time in a long time, I was frozen. I had dropped my 'Combat Mode' by now, and was wholly unprepared for this development to occur. Completely unsure what to do as she continued to examine me.

"You're strong," She almost moaned. "and quick on your feet. And you don't shy away from violence when you need to take care of weaklings." She sighed sensually, and I could feel my own heart pounding in my chest.

What the hell was going on?

"I thought it was a fluke the first time I felt it. There was no way I would be reacting to a human, much less one that was such an old man." She chuckled, and I felt myself lower even further as her hands went to the back my neck. I could feel the curves of her body all too much.

W-What the hell was going on? Why… why did I feel so…

So…

The wailing of sirens suddenly got louder, and I absentmindedly realized they were on top of us as I felt the wind pick up around us from the Pelicans engines.

My eyes never left Karasuba's grey one's, which were now lidded, something smouldering deep within them. Whatever it was, it caused my throat to clench tightly.

She sighed. "I should kill you… But now that you're here in front of me… now I know." She began to raise herself up, tightening her arms around my neck, causing me to lower as well. "That you're…"

Our faces got closer…

I suddenly felt myself snap out of it, a swell of panic surging throughout my body as I felt her warm breath on my lips. I could feel my body tense up in preparation to get out of her hold.

No… there was no way we were going to-.

"My Ashikabi."

Our lips connected firmly, right before I felt something slimy slide in between my teeth, sliding across my tongue and caressing it. I tried to back away, the urge to gag growing, but her hand had left my neck, pressing firmly against my head, cutting any form of escape for me.

That's when I felt it. Something inside of me, invading, melding together. It almost felt similar to how Cortana felt when I she entered my head, except it felt warmer than the bucket of ice I had grown accustomed to. I resisted the feeling at first, feebly putting up a wall to prevent it, but like water bursting through a dam, it flowed through me no matter how hard I struggled. It caused me to relax against my will the longer it remained.

A psychic attack of some sorts? It had to be, as any form of resistance in my body was forcefully ebbed away. The tension, the caution, all thrown into the wind and discarded. I felt it intoxicate me the longer it went.

Soon, when it was done, it floated there enticingly, probing, just waiting for me to accept it. In my state of deliria, it was too easy of a choice to make.

Karasuba moaned gutturally into my mouth, her back suddenly arching, causing her to press her body firmly against mine. Huge, black wings emerged from her back. So dark that they drank the light around them as they unfurled, stretching far behind her, before they flapped once, curling inwards around us.

_Hate._

_Bloodlust._

_Exhalation._

_Fear._

_Sadness._

_Protectiveness._

These emotions swirled around me violently, hitting my mind with the force of a truck, causing it to shut itself down as it tried to adapt to the new feelings. There were several others that I couldn't identify, but they caused my body to heat up and an itchy feeling to spread throughout it.

I felt her lips leave mine numbly, barely coherent after what had occurred.

She shuddered, almost violently against me as she gasped for breath, her full lips parting slightly. Then it was all over, her black wings disappearing and her body slackening against me.

I could feel something, a new presence in my mind, sort of like how Cortana used to feel. That once empty feeling not quite being filled, but not quite the same as it used to be either. Idly, I felt for the presence, probing against it, and it immediately responded, clutching tightly.

I felt my body tremble, the action mirrored by Karasuba.

I felt the presence let go, and all was back to normal once more.

"Well then," I heard her pant harshly against my chest. "That was more intense than I originally thought it would've been."

I blinked, now aware of the sweat stinging my eyes as I did so, looking down, only to be met by the chuckling alien.

"No. 04, Karasuba, at your side," She told me. A smile, far gentler than I had ever seen on her, spread across her face. "My blade is yours, use it lovingly or use it till it breaks, that depends on you. Until then, I will stay by your side, forever and ever."

I stared blankly at the alien pressed up against me. Unable to force any words through as my mind struggled to comprehend what the hell just happened.

…Shit…

"…Shit…" I finally spoke after being silent for so long, gasping.

What the hell did I just do?

The sound of sirens was my only response.


	9. Feather 9

_**On An Eagles Wings**_

_**((Author's Note:**_

_***Stares at the overwhelming reviews, favs, and follows* Wh-What the hell? Where the hell did you come from heheheh…**_

_**WOW! It seemed like a bunch of people loved the last chapter. I've got to admit, it's got me a bit nervous… heheheh… like, wow guys.**_

_**I honestly didn't expect this to get as much attention like it did. It's because I hit 100k words right? All you guys are the ones that filter out the stories less than that, right?**_

_**Either way, it humbles me so much to see your encouraging reviews. Honestly, that was great. And there were like 45 of them last chapter alone, which surprised the ever heck outta me!**_

_**I honestly didn't expect this story to get so much attention, and, as I've read, a lot of you agree with me! Like, it makes me happy that I could pull something as wacky sounding as a Halo/Sekirei story that could scratch an itch Halo and Anime fans may or may not know they have!**_

_**Though for those that are reading this, I have to ask, because a lot of people are asking…**_

_**But how do you guys feel about the OG Sekirei flock? Like, I get where a lot of you guys are coming from, but there are some that make me curious.**_

_**Like Musubi, I can't find a relevancy that requires her to be winged to John since… well… Yume's still alive and Karasuba is now his Sekirei… Both of them were major plot points for her entire existence in the Manga!**_

_**I dunno… just let me know your thoughts! I would certainly love to discuss thing like this on a PM or something!**_

_**I could only hope you guys enjoy everything else I bring to the table…**_

_**Also, made a new story, Sancta Daemonium, a Halo/High School DxD crossover.**_

_**I know right? What am I doing even though I still have to update In the Shadow of Gods?!**_

_**It's a stupid reason why I haven't updated it, and it'll be in the next chapter I post, don't worry.**_

_***EDIT 04/08/20* Brought to my attention, but at this chapter the story now is at 117k words. What a pleasant surprise...**_

_**((SPOILERS!)) Avoid if you don't want them!**_

_**So, the unveiling of this Chief of Security character for MBI. An old friend/enemy of John's, Soren-066, the only SPARTAN-II program traitor. This guy, well, he's a rather interesting character to be sure…**_

_**Now, to clear up any confusion for my lore genius', I'm also incorporating the story of the unreleased Halo TV series being released next year with the information we've received so far about it, which isn't much. I'm building around that for now out of respect to the television series I haven't watched yet with a bit of my own original lore, as the inclusion of Soren in this story was a thing way before I even found out they were making a tv series for Halo with him as the main antagonist. Only time will tell if I will keep it that way, and that means the story has to be good.**_

_**Not that I have high hopes for it, look at what they did to the Keyes' man! I'm cool with lots of things, but that feels like a straight slap to the face as a fan. Like, c'mon guys…**_

_**Anyhoo…**_

_**The majority of this chapter will be covering the consequences of John's decisions, along with brief explanations on what the Sekirei Plan is and what's going on in this story. More to follow…**_

_**A small introspect on On An Eagles Wings Karasuba too, with major differences, such as Yume still being alive first and forefront, this isn't the exact same Karasuba as seen in the manga or anime. I tried to make sure isn't too much difference to be any possible OOC, but there is enough that there will more to her than what we saw in the main Sekirei storyline. **_

_**Either way, she's John problem now kek….**_

_**Also, this is the first chapter I actually found myself focusing on multiple characters in one chapter, along with their personalities and such. Please let me know how I did!**_

_**With things the way they are, I hope all of you guys and your loved ones are staying safe!**_

_**Please read and review. If anyone has any questions/comments/concerns, please PM me so we could discuss it (without any spoilers of course).**_

_**And above all else, please enjoy the story!))**_

_**Feather 9**_

I stared, unblinking.

The MBI trooper stared back uneasily, shuffling a bit as he did. Even when covered from head to toe in white and black armor, the blue visor of his helmet did nothing to cover for his body language.

"No. 13's and No. 27's bodies have been secured, requesting two capsules for cold storage. Level 5 termination. Their Ashikabi's: Itsuki Yashiro and Suzuki Koriyama, are being brought into custody for suspicion of terrorist ties. How copy?"

"_Roger that Whisky-2. Overlord reads all. Secure them and bring them back to HQ for questioning…"_

I finally broke the stare off when his finger began to itch towards the trigger of his assault rifle. Instead, I regarded the other trooper as he spoke into his radio.

The EMT treating me growled. "Quit moving man. I'm trying to help you here." He gave me a glare when I glanced at him. "You messed up your hand pretty damn good doing the shit you did. I get that you're augmented, but what the hell were you thinking?"

I looked down at the injury in question. Turns out, the snapping I had heard when I redirected that 'Megafist' attack from Amebane had come from my hand. It was a bit of a grotesque sight, as the pinky, ring, and middle finger had taken much of the force, causing them to bend back unnaturally, dislocated. The tendons were stretched thickly across the skin, already taking on a purplish hue, and I could barely move my fingers.

The EMT hummed as he continued to work, medical scanner telling him the extent of my injuries. "The metacarpal bones in your hand are suffering from multiple displacement fractures. Tendons are pretty messed up, but not torn. Your pinky is almost destroyed, the bones running through it broken at different places. The ring and middle aren't too bad, hairline fractures for the most part."

I took the man's clinical notes distantly. Seems like the damage was worse than I originally thought. Though it explained why I was barely able to move a muscle in my hand before it began shaking violently.

It was only due to my mental and physical resilience that I was able to place the pain in the back of my mind when I realized the severity of my injuries.

The fact that punch was able to break a few of the bones in my hand proved just how tough these aliens can be, like a more intelligent Brute. It also proved to me how dangerous they were.

Breaking my bones, even if they were the ones in my hand, was no easy feat. To break through the advance carbide ceramic material that had been grafted into our bones with sheer brute strength behind a punch alone was perplexing.

Of course, it wasn't their base strength that I had to worry about. Nor their speed or their technique.

I glanced towards the street. Towards ruined, torn remains of the road, the pulverized cars, and toppled streetlights that stretched for about half a block.

The results of the leftover kinetic energy behind Amebane's 'Megafist' after I moved redirected the best I could. The results spoke for themselves.

I would have died had that punch landed. It wouldn't even have to be in a vital area. With that much force, I wouldn't have been surprised to see him tear through me or smear me on the road as nothing more but a bloodstain.

Whatever this power-up was, this 'Norito' as Amebane called it, it was too dangerous for even me to take head-on. Even if I was in MJOLNIR armor, I would highly avoid an attack like that unless I had no choice in the matter.

Though, part of me was also annoyed, and slightly disgusted that to get this 'power-up' of his, he needed to kiss his Ashikabi, a human.

I glanced at Karasuba, who stood a little way to the side, looking a bit bored as she watched the troops run back and forth. Alternating between that and giving my treatment a careful eye.

After our my… unwilling winging of her, I had gained enough of my wits to see the multiple weapons aimed at us, or me to be specific. The MBI troops had been aggressive at first, wanting to restrain me so they could take me into custody. Karasuba promptly put a stop to that before the situation could escalate, and part of me was grateful for her for it, as I realized that this was a scenario that that was not in my favor if I decided to fight back given how well equipped they were. She had announced to them my new status as her Ashikabi, and while I wasn't aware of what her position in MBI was, it must've been a rather high one, as that was enough to make them back off.

Of course, that sense of gratefulness was stomped out, placed in a MAC gun, and fired into the void of space when she then, unnecessarily may I add, decided that a demonstration was in order. My lips had been claimed once more by the alien, but I had shoved her off before she could squirm her tongue into my mouth again, more than a little peeved. The MBI troopers just stared at us, looking more and more bewildered and uncomfortable at the development and subsequent actions taking place in front of them.

Not like I could blame them though; I was still more than a little confused myself at the time.

Karasuba just laughed, seemingly delighting in my discomfort…

As the troopers scrambled to close off the area, that was when she noticed my injury. It was strange like a switch had been flipped inside of her, her face becoming carefully blank as she grabbed the first EMT she came across.

The guy was shaking in her grip by the time she dragged him to me.

"…Alright," I straightened slightly as the EMT sighed, putting down the medical scanner. "Your injury is fixable, thank God, but I would still recommend you go to a hospital to get it checked out. Make sure it's healing alright. The swelling in your hand is just making it look worse than it is, but I'm going to inject some bone-knitting polymer into your hand to keep the bones together and assist in the healing. Gonna have to relocate your fingers though, you okay with that?" He asked, rummaging through his bag and placing the required items to the side.

I nodded. "Do what you need to."

"Alright. Before we start though, I'll inject some polypseudomorphine to help with the pain before we start-."

"No drugs," I said flatly. "I don't need them." I never liked the way they made me feel. I preferred to be in pain, but alert then numbed but unfocused. The nauseating days I suffered through while recovering from augmentations left the idea of being under pain killers in a pretty negative light.

The EMT looked indignant and was most likely about to tell me off before a voice interrupted us.

"He's right. He doesn't need any of that." I looked up at the speaker, only to narrow my eyes.

Unlike the black and white assemble of the MBI troops, or the white and red of the EMT taking care of me, his was pure black. Instead of wearing the white fatigues the others wore, it was replaced by a black battle dress uniform. No doubt vacuum-rated and capable of EVA. Body armor covered his torso and shoulders with an armored collar for extra protection. A tac pad was mounted on his left arm, along with several pouches full of ammunition and grenades, centered around his waist and legs. Instead of the opened helmets the troops wore, his was sealed, masking his features, a pure black visor staring back at me.

He also had some serious hardware on him as well. The newest MA5D rested in his hands, a COG scope attached to the top, with an M301 grenade launcher under-barrel replacing the common flashlight attachment. An M57 PAW was attached to his back. Finishing it off with a knife attached to his collar and, I had to curb the slight bit of jealousy that flashed through me, an M6D attached to his thigh.

All in all, this man was suited as if he was prepared to fight a full-blown war all on his own.

That wasn't what caught my attention though.

It was his size.

His figure to be more specific, as he was as big as me. Similar muscle structure as well, aside from having bigger arms than mine. He did not look one bit as if the equipment he wore was hindering him.

No one should look like I did unless they were augmented. Besides that, there was something familiar about him. And the more I thought about it, the deeper the pit in my stomach grew.

"I'm going to need him coherent enough to ask him some questions." He cocked his helmeted head at me. "…And we have plenty to discuss."

The EMT nodded hesitantly. "Roger that sir."

…That voice…. No…

I felt a brush of anger fill me as I glared at him. I recognized him alright. I almost didn't given his normal-looking limbs, but I would never forget that voice.

We grew up together. Trained together. Fought together. Went through the augmentations together. Unfortunately, he didn't make it, becoming a cripple alongside so many of our fellow brothers and sisters.

Then he betrayed us. He even tried to join the Insurrectionist and attacked one of us during his escape.

I remember being told of his apparent 'death' when he crashed in the forests of Reach. I knew better though, especially when they couldn't produce a body. He had survived, as any other Spartan-II would have, and hid in the thick forests, vanishing like he always did.

Then we saw each other again, later in the war. He, a privateer working for the highest bidder, uncaring of the atrocities and his past duty to humanity. Fighting on the battlefield even with his disfigurements, using his powerful augmentations and incredible wits to do so. Then us meeting once more, from opposite sides of the battlefield.

It was also because him that brave kid from the Outer Colonies, Kwan Ah, had died. Another brave person, and a good friend, now just another corpse rotting in the ground.

"…I thought I told you," My voice was cold, even as I scowled at him. "Back then. To never show your face in front of me ever again."

The EMT tensed at my words, along with several other troopers who were in earshot. I also noticed Karasuba's head shoot towards me, lips pursed, as if she could feel my anger. I felt that presence swirl in my mind once more, tugging at the edge of it.

The air was thick with tension, and I saw multiple troops ready their rifles in preparation for a fight.

Karasuba did the same with her blade, clenching the scabbard tightly in her hand as her eyes opened slightly.

The man paused, staring at me, before his visor depolarized.

Blue eyes locked onto mine.

Soren-066 shrugged, his lips quirking into a faint smile. "I think you and I both know if you do something drastic right now, it isn't going to work out so well, for both of us."

I just glared at him, only to blink when Karasuba saddled up next to me casually, the nearly closed-eyed smile back on her face. Or it would have been a casual, hadn't her hand laid on the pommel of her blade.

"Now, now Soren-bouzu," She said casually, even as his eyes hardened as he regarded her. "If it's a fight you wanted, my Ashikabi and I would be all too willing to oblige. After all," I saw her glance at me, noticing her tongue poke out to lick her lips slightly. "I'm fully charged and ready to go."

I felt a chill crawl up my spine.

Her Norito. That's what she was talking about, right? Please tell me that's what she was talking about…

A scowl formed on his face, and I noticed a creak come from his weapon as he gripped it tightly. "…Stand down Karasuba. That new leash on your neck might disagree with getting others involved."

"Oh-hoh?" I could feel the hairs on my neck raise as she clenched her blade tightly. "And what makes you think I have a leash, much less need one in the first place?"

"Because you know what becomes of you should something happen to the one holding it." He shrugged. "Then again, mad dogs wouldn't care for what happens to their master anyways, it's in their nature after all. Always the type who bites the hand that feeds them."

Karasuba opened her eyes, bloodlust boiling through their surface as her smile became sharper. "That's pretty funny, coming from a snake." She leered. "Always waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Too scared to fight when it gets tough. How about you slither back to your master before that mad dog decides to show you just how sharp its fangs are." She flicked her thumb, a small flash of steel exposing itself. "Or don't, and we can make this more fun for me." Her smile almost stretched from ear to ear. "I don't really care~…"

"Enough!" I barked out, annoyed with the back and forth in front of me. Their attention focused on me; I regarded her first. "It's fine Karasuba, he just wants to talk," I told her carefully, ignoring her frown as I turned towards Soren. "Isn't that right?"

He nodded stiffly.

I felt a sudden wave of displeasure wash over me, causing me to pause. I glanced at Karasuba, only to see her with an uninterested look on her face as she leaned against the vehicle I was seated in, hand falling away from the pommel to rest by her side.

I exhaled, jerking my head towards the still tense EMT next to me. "Hope you don't mind if he works on my hand before you ask your questions."

Soren stared at me, expression unreadable, before nodding. The EMT sighed, relaxing as Soren told the rest of the tense troopers around us to stand down

"Seriously…" The EMT mumbled under his breath with a small shake of his head. "You sure you're ready for this? Relocating fingers is gonna hurt like a bitch man, take it from me."

He sighed once more when I nodded my head. "Alright then man," He took a hold of my fingers, using both hands to do so. "You sure you don't want something to bite on? It might help."

"I'm fi-." I opened my mouth to answer, only to tense when pain washed through me as he put pressure on my fingers, trying to relocate my fingers while I was distracted with the action.

Keyword being: _trying_.

"W-What the _hell?_" He puffed in exertion as he tried to apply more force onto the digits, the visible parts of his face becoming red as he huffed, putting his weight behind it.

My pinky moved slightly in the right direction with a small pop, but no further progress.

"The fuck, man?!" He panted as he gave up after several moments, giving my hand a wide-eyed look. "I've worked on augmented soldiers before, but it's like I'm trying to bend fucking steel here!" He flexed his hands a few times, and I could see a bead of sweat crawl down his face.

I blinked slowly, realization dawning on me. I had never had broken bones be looked at by others that weren't Dr. Halsey or other ONI doctors who had the proper clearance to examine me. Usually, whenever field personnel had gotten the chance to look at me, I had already fixed my injuries the best I possibly could or pushed away their concerns.

I stopped him before he could try again, grabbing my own fingers. "I've got it..." I grunted as I prepared myself, before jerking my hand without a second thought.

Pain jolted through my hand as my strong as steel bones were popped back into place. I sat there for a quick second, unmoving and blanked faced, as I forcibly pushed the pain to the back corner of my mind the best I could.

I exhaled slowly, before giving him my hand, fingers back in their proper place.

He took it, a bit of hesitance in the action. "...Jesus..." He whispered, before shaking his head and grabbing bone-knitting polymer kit and taking out the thin scalpel, disinfecting the swollen side of my hand. "Hold still." He murmured as he brought up the blade and pressed a button on it, causing it to heat up, and made a small incision on the side of my hand, the heated scalpel automatically cauterizing the area as it cut.

I resisted the urge to flex my hand in an attempt to get rid of the discomfort, as it felt like dozens of ants crawling into my skin and biting away at it.

He pulled the package full of the polymer, inserting the needle into the incision, and I could feel the mild discomfort of a thick liquid being pushed into my hand.

I looked away as he continued to work, looking up at the two when Soren turned towards Karasuba, getting her attention.

"You're not needed here anymore. Go assist Yume now, instead of sitting here." He told her flatly, sighing when she just raised an eyebrow in response. "She's tracking down the Sekirei _you_ let get away. I'd advise you go out there too because I'm not putting my ass on the fire to cover your mistakes." He explained blandly.

I quickly noted that. _Sekirei._ Seems like I finally had a name to their species.

Karasuba blinked, before she scratched her cheek thoughtfully. "Hm, what do you know? I completely forgot that happened." She peered at me for a moment. "Time must fly when something good happens to you." She mused, before pushing herself off the vehicle. She waved at us over her shoulder as she proceeded to leave. "Make sure to take care of Jo-chan for me…. Or it'll be your head I come for next."

Soren just scoffed at the casual threat. "Just don't do a level 5 termination!" He barked after her. "You're free to do whatever you see fit to the Ashikabi's as well, but don't kill them! We still need to find out who they're working for!"

He watched her disappear into the chaos, before regarding the EMT, who was carefully tying the bandage over my hand after he stapled the incision shut. "He good to go?"

The EMT nodded as he tossed the packaging remains further into the vehicle. "He'll be fine for now," He turned towards me. "But I still want you to see a doctor afterward. Get that properly treated alright? Here," I took the tiny bag full of pills he handed me. "In case the pain or inflammation gets worse. Take two, with a meal if possible."

I thanked him before I nodded to Soren. I was ready to move.

He nodded, jerking his head towards one of the Warthogs seated in the middle of the road alongside the rest of MBI vehicles. "Let's get moving then then. You're limo's waiting."

* * *

I quietly thanked the waitress as she nervously passed me the glass of water before she gave the now helmetless Soren his coffee. She quickly retreated to the back ducking her head alongside the chef, who peered at us from the edge of his stove.

Not like I could blame their apprehension. Two hulking figures, one in full armor and kit, while the other had bloodstains on his clothes and a broken hand, taking shelter in their little western themed café.

I raised a brow at Soren as he took a liberal sip of his coffee, sighing happily as he placed it back down. "I love the coffee this place has," He said nonchalantly. "I don't know what it is, maybe because they use whole bean coffee here? Not many places do that anymore in this side of the Sol system. I think a few cafés, that I can count in one hand, still use them. They're pretty rare nowadays. Whatever it is, it has a hell of a kick- "

"Why did you bring me here?" I interrupted him; my voice bland. "I thought you were going to take me back to Teito Tower?" I believed myself to be under custody after all.

He gave me a look, before he sighed. "You really haven't changed much, have you? You would think retiring would've helped soften you up a bit." He took another sip of his coffee, a ghost of a smirk on his face. "Then again, from what I hear, you've met some interesting people to help you in that that regard."

I grounded my jaw. "Enough games Soren. If you're not here to bring me in, then what's this about?"

He rubbed his neck, a faint sigh escaping his lips. "So, I had a talk with my boss…"

"Minaka Hiroto." I said flatly, and he nodded. "How'd that happen?"

He frowned. "Let's just say, I saved him when he needed the help, and in return, he gave me something the UNSC couldn't." He gripped the glove of his left hand and removed it. Instead of disfigured flesh being revealed, black metal greeted me instead.

My eyebrows shot up. "He gave you prosthetics?" I asked, a little surprised.

"Developed them himself. These aren't your regular prosthetics either, which interact with the peripheral nerves. These interact with the central nervous system instead, and also come with augmentations of their own to match up with the rest of my body. Helped made sure I was able to stay in the game with the likes of you guys."

"Mechanical augmentations? How? I thought MBI invested in pharmaceuticals and medicine? That sounds like borderline weapons research."

"They also do D.O.D. contracts on the side for the UNSC, helps keep them afloat with all the competition they get." He shrugged, a wry smile on his face.

Still there was something that he said that unnerved me a bit. "And you said that they could help you keep up with us? How?"

He sighed as he placed the glove back on. "Yeah… as much as I would like to tell you all about it, we're not here to talk about me. We're here to talk about you, and let's just say, what happened tonight… Well, that was a pretty unexpected move on your part." He glanced at his coffee cup. "It's got a bunch of people in very high places very unhappy. Of course, my boss is thrilled, not that he knows who you are or anything, I'd imagine he'd cream his pant if he did. Of course, it's not like it takes much when he finds something that interests him." He took another sip. "Then again, for all intents and purposes, it might've fell within _your_ expectation."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How so?"

He gave me a slight glare. "Seriously John, don't play the innocent here. We both know that role doesn't fit people like us." He leaned against the table. "You might've not known something like this was going to happen, but you at least had an idea how to start looking for it."

"…" I pursed my lips, and he scoffed at my silence.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out John. Ever since you've been out of Teito Tower, you've been keeping a low profile, keeping your neck out places you knew it didn't belong. You avoided going out at night when most of the 'incidents' occurred, ignored the Sekirei jumping across buildings in broad daylight, and you kept yourself secluded aside from several acquaintances you communicated with on a day to day basis."

"How does MBI know who I talk to? Have your people been following me around?" It would answer the question on who the people following me and spying on me at my house were.

He shook his head. "No. We kept tabs on you through the CCTV system the city's infrastructure has."

I didn't like the implications that brought. "…I thought Tokyo's Superintendent AI oversaw those subroutines. How would MBI have access to them?" I tried to keep the edge from appearing in my voice, but I couldn't help it leak out with the amount of apprehension filling me.

With the space elevator that was built in Okinawa, only Japan's national government should have any authority on what the Superintendent AI could and couldn't do, including on who would have clearance to its subroutines and databases. While the infrastructure of the city was important, maintaining and checking the orbital tether was far more so, as the safety precautions needed were immense. After all, I had heard of the major amounts of collateral damage made from one of Harvest's tether when the space station it had been attached to had been destroyed during the war, the result being the cable falling and looping around the entire planet.

If something like that were to happen on Earth, especially given the planets size and the amount of infrastructure and people on the planet, the damage would be catastrophic as the elevator would be likely able to loop around the planet _twice_.

So how in the _world_, would a conglomerate like MBI have access to something as technologically important as the AI who made sure something like that _didn't_ happen?

Soren leaned back into his seat, cup back in his hand has he thought on how to reply.

"Officially," He began slowly. "The Japanese government has control of the AI, giving MBI only slight permissions to assist with the welfare of the entirety of Shinto Tokyo, as the corporation itself owns the city. They work together to make sure that Japan is a safe and secure place for its citizens."

"And unofficially?"

"Unofficially, well…" He shrugged. "MBI owns the nation's government, as well as the AI. We were the ones who kept the nation afloat when the rest of the world was struggling economically with the overwhelming amounts of outworld migrants and veterans who didn't know how to live without a gun in their hands. There was no way the Japanese government could compensate all the work MBI had done for them. So, a couple of back door deals, contract signing, and handshakes, and now MBI is the one who tells those elected officials 'what not to do' and 'what to do', as well as 'what they're going to do'."

"…If Minaka needs that much power over a country, why doesn't he just become the Prime Minister of Japan? Why all the secrecy?" Is that how politics worked? Ruling through proxies? Through the shadows of others?

"It's because of how much scrutiny he'll receive if he does so. The man is a genius who was able to get his own private army, as well as purchase the one city with the largest economy by Terran standard. He already has people out there who already dislike him for his less savory business decisions, like what he did with the veteran's, as well as his ability to put them out of business. Him becoming a full-time politician would be placing himself in the crosshairs of some of his enemies; literally speaking. It's too much of a risk, so it's best he works from a place of strength where he can actually be safe from the everyday threats his position normally comes with."

"Are the officials in the UEG part of this too? Do they know what's going on here?"

"Some are, but there's others who aren't. They don't need to be, and they won't be anytime soon."

"How? You saw what happened, two civilian's dead, and major damage to the infrastructure. How is MBI going to cover this up from the media from posting all this on Waypoint?" I could feel myself get irritated. It all just seemed so irresponsible to me.

I felt myself sigh when he just stared at me. "…MBI owns the media too, don't they…?" I answered my own question, and he nodded. "So, who's really in charge then?"

"Who do you think? Who could possibly get the power to control all this information and get all these things done without the public knowing? In Earth of all places?"

There was only one group who came to mind. "…ONI..." I said grimly, and he nodded, taking another sip of his coffee.

…I figured things weren't what I expected but I didn't think it would be something like this. Given ONI's line of work though, especially after the amount of power they had during the war, I could imagine how hard it was for them to let it go. Still, they wouldn't do such things without a reason, which left me with the new question: Why were they standing idly by while MBI does whatever it is they're doing?

My disturbance with the revelation must've showed on my face. "Welcome to the 'modern' UEG John. Sure, it looks like President Ruth Charet and her cabinet gained back their administrative powers from the UNSC after the war, but anybody outside of the Inner Colonies could tell that it's nothing but a front for those _really_ in power."

I just sighed, my composure finally breaking as I rubbed my face with my hands.

My reaction gained a chuckle out of Soren. "Yup. And now that you have a better understanding of the whole situation, I'm sure you realize just how badly you almost messed things up."

He honestly didn't have to keep reminding me. ONI, even if they didn't have any political power within the government, was still a force to be reckoned with. They were the only intelligence agency still left standing after all, having snuffed every remaining one as their power grew.

Still… "Wouldn't Section Zero deal with these types of infractions?" They were to make sure no illegal activity was occurring through the colonies along with the UNSC and ONI.

He snorted. "If Section Zero actually was competent enough to do its job, we wouldn't be here."

It took me a moment before I realized he was talking about our existence. As Spartan-II's. One of the most immoral and illegal projects done by ONI to date.

"…Right…" I conceded; He did have a point there. "I think I understand now…" I couldn't help but squint at him though. "It still doesn't explain _you_. You defected because of ONI. Betrayed us. So why are you working under them now?"

"I don't work for ONI." He replied sternly, glaring at me. "They left me behind when they didn't have use for me back then. We were just tools to them, meant to be throw away when we ran out of battery or when we wouldn't wind up for them like good little machines. Hell, the program didn't become relevant until Draco III, when they needed to boost morale. Chances were that you guys were still considered disposable until then. How many suicide missions did you pull in order to give humanity a smidge of a chance? How many people even know of those who didn't make it, or are they still considered 'missing in action' still?"

I let him recompose himself from his small outburst silently, glancing at the silent waitress and cook cleaning around the café, doing what they can to ignore us. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Well it's not the same with MBI. Minaka has done more for me than any of my 'brothers and sisters', who tried to kill me when they realized I was alive for making my own decisions." I suppressed a wince at that; granted, he was killing both Insurrection and UNSC personnel as a privateer at the time, so we couldn't let him nor the group he was affiliated with go. "He gave me a second chance, a new body, a new purpose, and a new life." He touched his gloved left hand, on the ring finger. "So, I'll repay him the best I can until he decides to cut me loose."

We sat there in silence for a while as I digested his loyalty to Minaka Hiroto. Soren finished the rest of is coffee with a sigh, leaning into his seat, looking more and more haggard by the second.

"…You were doing _exactly _what you were told to do John." I looked up as he began to speak once more, his tone leaking of incredulity. "But going to a _club_ of all things? I don't think anyone back in our class would ever do something like that for actual fun. Maybe Will, or even Daisy as a laugh; but _you_?" He chuckled hollowly, shaking his head. "I get the feeling you only did it because it might've finally given you the _excuse _you needed to get involved."

I stared at my water wordlessly as he brought back the previous topic. It wasn't my intention to get involved with whatever is going on with MBI and all these Sekirei. I really didn't go out there for that reason.

But…

I will admit… that a _small_ part of me… just wanted _something_ to happen for once. For something to feel like what I was doing had _purpose_, instead of simply existing day to day.

I never would have wanted things to get as out of control as it did. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. No one to get killed or caught in the crossfire like they did.

"…You're not the grow old gracefully type John." Soren said earnestly. "Same for the rest of us who's seen any real action before. The only place we could feel we have purpose is on the battlefield. Even when I was a cripple, I was still as soldier. I understand those feelings of powerlessness and frustration you might feel every day, doing your best to bury them the best you can. Forcing yourself to push down your impulses, your very nature, just so people behind a desk can judge you on being 'normal' enough to live with the rest of them, and even then there's always the whispers and looks. I get that you were trying to play the boy scout, but you can't keep fixing _sinks_ and _heaters_ until you get back to the others. Who knows? You may even hate teaching when you get to that job of yours. Something like that isn't for everyone."

I frowned, wanting to say anything back. To rebuke him. To deny him.

…I just couldn't find it within myself to do so…

"So," I glanced up as he took a deep breath, as if to prepare himself. "Why don't you join me? Or at least, MBI?"

I furrowed my brows.

What?

Did he just really ask that?

"…I don't work for company interests. I'm a soldier, not a mercenary." I replied flatly.

"Just hear me out. We're one of the same John. No matter how you try to put it, we're birds of a feather- "

"No, we're not." I snapped, my agitation growing. Was all he just said just a spiel just to get me to lower my guard? "My flock doesn't run and turn coat on us."

He scowled. "It's not like I had a choice."

"There's always a choice."

We just sat there, glaring at one another for a few moments, before Soren sighed. He leaned against the table, rubbing the bridge of his nose. It was at that moment that I realized that even his face had been cured of its disfigurements.

Just how far ahead of modern technology was MBI?

"Listen," he sighed. "I'm not here to argue about the past. Now that your part of the game, there's a lot of things happening in the background you need to be aware of."

I felt my nostrils flare. "This isn't a game Soren." I spat.

"I…" He sighed, closing his eyes shut. "…You'll figure that out later I guess." He reopened his eyes, glancing at his tacpad as it beeped. "Listen, there's more going on than here than you realize, and I'm not just working for the sake of MBI, but the safety of the citizens of Japan as a whole."

I narrowed my eyes. "How?"

"There's splinter cells out there; Insurrectionist groups who are trying to make big moves in the Inner Colonies instead of keeping fight in the Outer."

"What do you mean? Are they employing terror tactics? Espionage?"

He nodded grimly. "More than that. Tonight, was an example. While we don't think killing innocents were their objective, the entire thing was orchestrated by them." He raised his tacpad, giving it a small tap. "The Sekirei's Ashikabi, after some… convincing on our part, admitted that they were being blackmailed into participating into what happened tonight." He detached his tacpad, handing it over to me. "Take a look."

I took it from him, staring down at the information on the screen.

**Ashikabi: Itsuki Yashiro; Female (Alive)**

**Age: 19**

**Occupation: First Year at Teito University**

**Sekirei: No. 13 Amebane; Male (Level 5 termination); Combat Type Sekirei**

**I skimmed through the rest of the information, deeming it irrelevant. I instead read the lengthy bottom.**

**-has said to be acting against her will. The subject, under some duress, proclaimed that she had attacked No. 12 at the bar while under the orders of an unknown group holding her parent's hostage. Subject admitted she had a video sent to her proving this. When we investigated her data pad, the video showed said parents under captivity by several unknown figures, along with directions on what to do and who to look for. Intent of the group is unknown for the time but must be investigated further. Suspected Insurrectionist activity.**

**Recommending heightened measures to protect other Ashikabi's family to prevent further-.**

I frowned, scrolling down to the next report.

**Ashikabi: Suzuki Koriyama; Male (Alive; injured)**

**Age: 23**

**Occupation: Part-time student attending Tokyo Medical University; Full time garbage worker**

**Sekirei: No. 21 Sora; Female (Level 5 termination); Staff Type Sekirei**

**-informed us of his younger siblings, one male of the age of 12, and the other a female of the age of 16, having been kidnapped. He was given explicit orders by the unknown group to attack No. 11 and 12 at the bar, along with No. 6 if possible. Afterwards, the subject, already under a high number of painkillers for his injuries, began to hyperventilate and panic as he realized he failed in his mission. Was sedated with a higher dose when he began to show more violent tendencies to the orderlies tending his injuries.**

**Recommend an investigation team to figure out the whereabouts of the children. Their retrieval, alive or otherwise, is essential from possibly escalating this entire situation into…**

I exhaled softly through my nose as I looked over the last two profiles. They were under the same situation as well, either through blackmail or threats of harm to them or a loved one.

MBI worked quick it seemed. It couldn't been longer than two hours since they got the Ashikabi under their custody.

"Do you have a positive identity on who's behind this?" I asked, handing the tacpad back to him.

He shook his head as the took it back. "No, we figured it might be splinter groups from the URF or the NCA, but nothing concrete right now. Whoever they are though, they're taking an extreme stance on Ashikabi's in order to get hands on their Sekirei's ability. The Disciplinary Squad, the team Karasuba and Yume are part of, and MBI's security force are doing their best to mitigate the accessibility these groups have to them, but it seems like they're still able to seep through the cracks. We can't watch everything after all, and I have reason to suspect that their reach might be larger than we originally thought if they were able to infiltrate the Inner Colonies already. Things might not look good for those participating in the game."

I furrowed my brow when I heard him call this situation that again. A 'Game'. I decided not to rebuke him for his wording, cataloguing it instead.

"…I'm still not going to join you Soren. Whatever MBI is doing, it's putting other people's lives at risk." I said firmly.

He sighed, but I interrupted him before he could speak. "…But I will keep an eye out. Try to keep the casualties to a minimum at least. If what your saying is true. Then it's likely that I'll become a target for them too." Especially with Karasuba being part of this 'Disciplinary Squad' he was talking about. They might see me as a priority in order to secure what might be an important asset to MBI.

Soren pursed his lips, likely not happy with my compromise for the situation, but he relented in the end with a small shrug. "…Fine. I'll take what I can get. Just watch your back out there, things are going to get unpredictable, but we can't start a full-on armed forces invasion on the country to get these guys without starting a global panic. That means that if you're going to help, then try to keep it quiet. I would've preferred us going at this together, but if you're going in alone, then realize we can't support you if you get yourself into a tight spot."

I nodded grimly, but I wasn't going to lower myself as a mercenary for MBI without knowing their purpose behind this entire operation. Besides, it wouldn't be my first-time lone wolfing an operation.

Then again, it seemed like I picked up an unexpected ally. For better or worse, only time would tell.

"But," Soren rummaged through his pocket, before pulling out a card and sliding it towards me. "If you change your mind or give us a heads up before you make any moves, I'll do my best to help you."

I picked up his card -a fancy holographic one at that- and nodded at his offer to help. "…Thanks." I still felt a little unsure on truly accepting his help though.

"Listen, I know we have our differences John. And I'm aware that you quite don't like me from my past mistakes. But we have the same goal: to make sure as little civilians to get caught in the crossfire as possible. Any help you can bring to the table will help." With his part said, he scooted out the booth with a small sigh. "Do you need a ride back?"

I shook my head immediately. I didn't need the chance of my neighbors, if a few weren't asleep at this time, to see me get dropped off by a fully armed Warthog. It would raise too many questions, and with the help I do around the complex, I didn't want to find myself in that situation.

He shrugged. "Alright." He took two steps forward, before pausing, standing right next to me. "And John? Watch yourself around Karasuba. I don't know if you figured it out but… there's something… _off_ about her. Just thought I'd warn you."

And with those peculiar words of warning, he left the café. A few seconds later, I heard the loud rumbling roar of Warthog, before it sped down the road and soon out of sight.

…Hm. They make civilian models of that right?

…I had to get me one of those…

"A-Ano..." I jerked my head up to the trembling waitress, who let out a little squeak of terror at my sudden movement. I waited patiently for a few moments for her to regain her wits. She continued to tremble though. "I-Is that all s-s-sir? O-Or w-would you l-like anything e-e-else?" She stuttered, horribly covering the fear she felt because of me.

I resisted the urge to frown, instead I tried to keep my face as relaxed as possible. "No, I think that-. "I paused as I glanced around, my eyes falling on the thing surrounded by a glass cover. I pointed at it, extending all my fingers towards it with a knife hand. "…What's that?"

The waitress, with visible confusion on her face, followed where to what I was pointing to. "…Uh… the apple pie sir?"

Apple pie…? Never heard of that before. Hm… Well, I did like apples, and I heard that pie was like cake, so it should taste good. "I'll have that." I decided.

She gave me a befuddled look. "Uh… a slice?"

I shook my head. "I'll take the whole thing. To go if possible." Call it a slight lack of discipline, but with all that I've just learned, a bit of carbs and sugar didn't sound too bad right now.

Idly, I realized that my appetite had grown a lot after retiring. With the addition of shopping with Miya, I ordinarily ate quite a bit these days to keep up the caloric intake my body required. The other foods I had been treating myself to had been quite a nice addition as well. Probably had to do with not being restricted to military chow and rations anymore, and the civilian side did have quite the selection to choose from.

Suddenly, I was reminded of what Fred told me almost a month ago…

…This wasn't how Kelly and Linda got 'fat', right?

Unaware of my growing inner conflict, the waitress just stared at me. Her face going through multiple conflicting emotions as if she was having a hard time understanding my request. "…R-right away sir…" She settled on replying after a few moments.

I couldn't help but feel a little worried as she walked off with a dazed look on her face. I hope she was alright.

Dismissing her after a moment, I picked up my forgotten glass of water and took a sip from it.

Aliens. Terrorists. ONI. Shadow Organizations. And a multi-trillion credit company with their own private army. It was a little surprising what messing up once could bring.

One hell of a strange new world I've found myself in.

Still…

I took another sip of my water, feeling quite calm despite the circumstances.

…It wasn't the worst situation I had been in. It was an interesting one to be part of, I will admit that.

Different, but familiar enemies. Different, but familiar objectives.

The allies though? Well… I've worked with worse….

Can't say I was completely fine with the situation. Especially since I now found myself bonded to some alien, who's reasons for doing so were completely lost on me.

And that kiss…

…Who would've thought?

"E-excuse me sir?" I looked up when the waitress came back, a small box in hand that she set on the table. "Here's your pie. I-Is that all?"

I nodded my head, but to my surprise, she didn't give me a bill, saying that it was 'on the house'. I didn't know what that meant, but I soon figured it meant it was free. I found myself feeling a little bad though, so I left a few credits on the table as I left with my box in hand.

The waitress and cook seemed relieved by the time I walked out.

I blinked when the lights immediately shut off as I went through the door. The big '**OPEN'** sign turning to '**CLOSED'** in an instant, as if to contradict the _**'**_**Open 24 Hours'**sign next to it.

Odd… did something happen?

I was abruptly brought out of my musings when something tapped me on the nose, causing me to blink. Curious, I touched it.

Water.

Another tap struck my head, along with another, and another.

I could only sigh.

Rain… Just my luck…

* * *

The apartment complex was an endearing sight to behold as I jogged lightly towards the covered staircase. Thick droplets of water continued to roll down my face even when I finally found shelter from the rain. I wiped them off as I began to make my way up the stairs, the thick bristles of my five o'clock shadow chaffing against my palm.

It was a relief when I finally made it to my door, fishing out my keys out of my pockets. I inserted it through the lock, before giving it a twist.

…That relief flew away when I didn't hear the clicking noise of the door unlocking…

…And I knew for a fact that I locked up before I left for the night…

As if to reaffirm my fears, I felt the new presence in my head give a faintly warm, pulsating sensation through it.

As if welcoming me.

It caused me to hesitate slightly, and I even debated going inside for a moment. It quickly turned into some indignation.

This was my room damn it… I wasn't about to give it to some alien.

With my mind made up, I opened the door and made my way through, only to be greeted by the smell of… curry?

…What in the world?

"Ara, ara, Jo-chan," My eye twitched when Karasuba's smiling visage greeted me, casually propped up on the couch with her stocking covered feet kicked up on the coffee table next to it, the television in front of her on. Along with her boots, she also lacked that grey coat of hers, which was draped on the couch, her sword leaning against the side of it. "I was starting to think I needed to get ready and look for you with how long you were taking." She waved a hand. "Took a look around the place. Pretty nice, expected of MBI, but you really aren't the materialistic type huh?"

She jerked a thumb towards the kitchen. "At least you keep the place stocked with food. Ah…" I closed the door behind me, ill at ease with the idea of the alien I was bonded with breaking into my house and seemingly making herself at home. At least she didn't break the lock though. "Had some of that curry you had stacked up. Saved a plate for you just in case."

"…" I kicked off my shoes, placing them by her boots, before walking to the kitchen to set down the box of pie on the counter wordlessly.

I was cold, wet, and serious need of a shower after trudging through that freezing rain. Not to mention had plenty to think about with the current revelations. I seriously didn't feel like dealing with an intrusive alien right now.

Who knows? She might even get the hint that I didn't want her here.

"Ara Jo-chan, giving me the cold shoulder already?"

"Don't call me that." I snapped in a moment of irritability, turning around to face her. "That's not my name."

She opened her eyes, blinking slowly at my reaction.

I stared back flatly, unmoving on my words and stance. We may have to work together now that we were 'bonded', but she was a stranger to me still. My name, my true name, wasn't something I would allow anyone to make light of.

Especially some alien.

"Well," Karasuba quickly regained her composure, an unreadable look on her face as she rubbed her chin. "What should I call you then? Stark-san?" She tried, and I nodded my head.

"That'll be a start Karasuba-san." I paused when she raised a hand, and I felt a bit of discomfort through the bond -there had to be a way to turn this off-, a slight frown appearing on her face.

"Afraid that's not going to happen, and drop the -san or any other honorifics you might be thinking of." She said in a clipped tone. "You're my Ashikabi and I'm your Sekirei, there's no need for that sort of formality between us."

I pressed my lips into a thin line, a little perplexed on how that part was the only thing she was focused on. Did it really matter what I called her?

"Fine then," I said curtly, not in the mood to start an argument over something so simple as addressing one another. "First off though, what's the whole deal about this? Ashikabi and Sekirei? What's going on?"

Karasuba raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused by my curiosity. "I'm guessing you didn't get the phone call then?" I shook my head in slight confusion. A phone call? Should I be expecting one? "Heh, leave it to that guy to be lazy." She shrugged, a relaxed smile playing on her lips. "That's fine though, anything that fool would have told you would have likely been full of fluff and nonsense."

I just cocked my head. Who was she talking about?

She chuckled a bit. "All jokes aside… A Sekirei are what I and one hundred and seven other brothers and sisters of mine are called," She jabbed a finger in my direction. "And you, an Ashikabi, are the person we bond with to release the full potential of our power. Some of my… more romantic siblings believe that an Ashikabi is a Sekirei's fated one… the person we are destined to be with. Through the power of love or something like that…"

Karasuba trailed off, an inquisitive look in her eyes as she stared at me, and through the bond, I could feel a small tug on the edge of my mind. It was a curious thing.

I pushed it away readily.

"What about you?" I asked bluntly. With the fight earlier, I believe it was safe to say that this whole 'power of love' nonsense about bonding with Sekirei had been successfully debunked. Again, I wasn't an expert about love at all, having detached myself from unnecessary emotions for so long after seeing those fall under my command with every battle I fought in, but even I was pretty sure that scene Amebane had showed us was anything but love.

Then again, it could be all a matter of opinion for these Sekirei. It was a bit of a creepy thought for me, aliens wanting to psychically bond interracially with others out of love or power, as the last creatures I had similar experiences with were the Flood… not much love there though.

The psychic bond eerily reminded me of the intrusive Gravemind too closely for my comfort.

In response to my question, Karasuba's face became carefully blank, betraying nothing as she stared neutrally at me. It took me a few moments before I realized that I may have asked a question that might have been quite personal in nature for her.

Seems like I struck some type of nerve.

I exhaled carefully, folding my arms over my chest and leaning against the counter, the rack of knives by my side. I idly realized one was missing. "Fine then, then what is MBI trying to achieve with sending out all these Sekirei to look for their Ashikabi? Especially when it seems like the Ashikabi are being targeted right now?"

Karasuba raised an eyebrow. "Soren-bouzu told you quite a bit, now didn't he? That's strange, usually he goes around sulking all day, doesn't even talk to anybody unless it's about work or him reporting to Minaka." She gave me a searching look. "Which reminds me, how do you know each other? Seems like you two have a past."

I jerked my head dismissively. "Don't worry about it…"

She hummed, and again I felt another sensation through the bond, an inquisitive feeling this time. I was really beginning to hope this thing didn't work both ways. "Alright then, the reason MBI has released the Sekirei throughout the city is for a little something called the Sekirei Plan."

I raised a brow, and she continued with a small shrug. "It's a stupid game Minaka came up with. A battle royal that pits all one hundred and eight of us against each other. We go out, get winged, and fight, until theirs only one pair left, then the winning Ashikabi 'ascends' with his Sekirei, gaining enough power to become 'Gods'."

I narrowed my eyes. Fighting, battle royals, and 'Ascending'? So, this was the 'Game' Soren was talking about. It all sounded… incredibly dangerous, not to mention irresponsible. I thought this man was supposed to be some type of genius. And what did she mean by becoming a 'God'?

"So, why me?" I asked her instead, and explained myself when she cocked her head. "Why did you choose me to become your partner to be part of this 'Sekirei Plan' that's going on?"

Karasuba let out another shrug. "I was never really interested in the mechanics behind it, but from what I know, our genes reacted to each other." She leered at me as I furrowed my brows at that information. "I'm sure you felt it too, way back in the cafeteria?" She let out a small chuckle. "The time you threatened me with chopsticks?"

I frowned at the reminder, as well as the scolding from Halsey I received afterwards. It was those moments of hostility when I realized just how high strung my age-old instincts were. How something that have saved my life many times could actually be detrimental to my progress of being a 'civilian'. It had been a struggle for the first few weeks, but my self-isolation and basic tasks like working around the apartment complex and shopping with Miya had helped in that regard. It allowed me to shove those instincts to the side and not jump every time someone bumped into me or stood behind me.

I had to admit though, part of me felt a little relieved that I might not have to continue practicing that level of restraint anymore. Going into a combat mindset had been refreshing, but it also made me realize just how _long_ it had been. At least, when compared to how long I've been in it for most of my life.

As if to remind me, my left hand throbbed. A mistake made due to a slight on the spot miscalculation.

It too bad of a mistake, but as a veteran Spartan-II, it was unacceptable.

Maybe Soren was right. Maybe I had gotten a little soft…

"I remember," I replied to Karasuba's question. "But what would happen if something were to happen to me and the bond was broken? Would you just move on to the next Ashikabi and get winged again?"

I felt like I made a slight mistake when any amusement drained from her face, her eyes opening fully to stare at me grimly as she leaned forward in her seat. She looked into my eyes, seemingly searching for something. When she seemed satisfied, she reclosed her eyes to little slits and leaned back into the couch.

"…No, that wouldn't be an option for me." She said, turning her head towards the side. "If you were to, let's say, die, then I would die with you."

My breath almost caught in my throat, incredulity filling my body. I narrowed my eyes at her. No… She couldn't mean… Not for someone she _just_ met, it didn't make any sense.

"You'd…" I couldn't hold back the tinge of disbelief from my voice. "…Commit suicide?" I felt deeply disturbed at this revelation, but I wasn't sure what to do. What _can_ I even do?

A grim smile appeared on her face as she looked back at me. "No. Not exactly. It's a result of our bond. I now belong to you, body and mind. To borrow a few words from a friend, our fates are now intertwined." I felt a slight tickled in the back of my head once more, but instead of pushing it away like last time, I hesitantly reached out towards it as well, my eye twitching slightly as a jolt ran through my spine.

…I would need some time to get used to this…

"You feel it too, don't you?" Karasuba asked. "The connection we have now?" At my nod she reached up, scratching her cheek slightly. "Now as for why I reacted to _you_ specifically, I'm not too sure. I never intended to go and get myself winged in this stupid game. Hell, I was supposed to retire from MBI a month ago. Not that I can complain about you though, as you seem like everything I wanted in an Ashikabi: Strong, swift and quite brave, a real fighter." Her lips twisted into a small smirk as she looked at me up and down. "…Looks like I do know how to pick 'em…Lucky me."

…_She stared at me straight in the eyes though my visor, searching. "I DO know how to pick em." She murmured gently; fondly._

_I felt my lips twitch slightly as I continued to lean against the console, gazing at her tiny form. "Lucky me…"_

I pressed my lips into a thin line as I pushed back the memories to the back of my mind, a little disturbed at how exact the wording was.

I shook my head slightly. "So, I guess that means you'll be staying here from now on?" Part of me strongly wanted her to say no, that she would go back to Teito Tower after our little discussion.

Unfortunately, reality has an odd sense of humor. "You've guessed right, hope you're not too bothered."

I exhaled through my nose, letting the insincerity in her tone slide. "I'm guessing you know where everything is at then?" I didn't know how long she had been inside my apartment, but she did admit that she had been snooping around when I first came in.

When she nodded, my stomach decided to interject unhelpfully, the grumbling almost echoing within the confines of the room.

She let out a small, sharp laugh. "Hungry are we?"

I bit back a sigh, but nodded slightly, fighting back the warmth creeping into my cheeks. With all the commotion of the night, I had forgotten to eat dinner. Even afterwards, all the adrenaline going through my system had made it easy to ignore my bodily needs.

"Well, there's a plate of the curry I made in the fridge. I'm going to go take a shower if you don't mind, gonna get ready for bed." She said, and that was when I noticed the bags under her eyes, usually slight, seeming more pronounced than usual. Idly, I wondered how long she had been awake.

Nodding dismissively, I made my way towards the fridge as she stood from the couch, stretching. I still had several questions, but with how late it was into the night, I guess I could wait until tomorrow to ask them. Pulling it open, I was immediately greeted with a literal _mountain _of curry and rice stuffed onto a single plate. I pulled out the dish with my unbroken hand with a bit of hesitance, noting that even though it had been in the fridge for a bit, it was still warm.

Pulling out a spoon from one of my cabinets, I carefully balanced the plate on top of my bandaged hand, picking up a spoonful of the food, and bringing it towards my mouth. I hesitated before I ate it though. What if it was poisoned? What if she did some alien thing to it that made it indigestible for humans? What if-

As if annoyed by my thought process, my stomach let out an impatient growl, wanting instant gratification.

Well, might as well see what happens I guess. I chomped down on the morsel of food, chewing thoughtfully, looking for any oddities that I might taste or feel within the food.

After a few moments, I swallowed.

Hmmm… Not bad…

* * *

After a rather filling meal of curry, I had gone to take my own shower after cleaning the dishes after Karasuba had hers. I quickly scrubbed down my body after peeling the damp remains of my suit, the warm water a welcomed sensation as it glided around my cold body. I took care of my still healing hand, and had completely forgone using the bath stool inside, wanting to be finished as soon as possible. I had to change up my common sleep ware, as I usually slept in a pair of shorts, throwing on a what should have been extra-large shirt over my form, stretching it to its limits as it conformed to the contours of my musculature.

I brushed and rinsed my teeth, idly taking note of my growing facial hair that had grown a bit further than a stubble. I glanced at the hair on my head, taking note of the slight unkemptness it was starting to show as it began to grow further from its short cut.

Tired blue eyes reflected off the mirror, heavy bags darkening the bottom of them, before I gave them a firm rub as I resisted the urge to yawn. I hadn't been able to sleep that past two days due to my nerves acting up when faced with a social event, so now that everything had died down by now, the fatigue was hitting me a bit strongly.

…Today was certainly an interesting one…

I walked out the bathroom, raising a brow when I noticed Karasuba casually lounging gracefully against my couch in the living room. She was inspecting her partially drawn blade for any imperfections with her hair down from its usual ponytail. All while, from what I could see, only wearing a shirt that was several sizes too large for he-

I did a double take.

Was she wearing one of _my _shirts?

…What in the world?

I walked up to her, jabbing a finger at her attire. "Why are you wearing that?"

She blinked a little, getting rid of the sleepiness in her eyes, before raising an eyebrow. "Wearing what?" She gave a small tug to the loose article of clothing. "You mean this?"

I nodded, and she shrugged. "Is there a problem with it?"

Was there a prob- Yeah, there was. It was my shirt. Why did she think she could just wear it? Didn't she have her own clothes?

"It's mine." I deadpanned.

She squinted at me. "You want it back?" She asked, unashamed in admitting her guilt for taking something that wasn't hers.

At my nod, she shrugged once more as she placed her sword to the side, and I thought I saw her smirk, before reaching for the hem of the shirt and lifting it up. Exposing her pale thighs, the white panties that hugged her hips, a taunt, firm stomach, the undersides of her breasts, before exposing her pink nip-

I grabbed the shirt, shoving it back down over her body as I looked away, keeping my face carefully blank. "Never mind," I said curtly. "You can keep it…"

Truly, I was not expecting the whole lot of nothing she was wearing underneath. Then again, what did I expect?

I glanced at her when she chuckled throatily, her eyes dark while the smile on her face stretched wide like -what was the expression- a Cheshire cat, I believe it was.

"My, Jo-chan," I felt my eyebrow twitch at the casual nickname. "I didn't take you for the shy type. It's alright, I don't mind being naked, I'm your Sekirei after all."

I let go of her -my- shirt quickly as if burned, not trusting myself to say a word in response to that due to how unsure I felt on how to approach a topic like that. Her chuckles followed me as I marched straight into the kitchen.

Internally though, I felt conflicted and more than a little incensed. For some reason, I felt my heartbeat quicken ever so slightly and a stimulus enter my system the further she exposed herself. I've seen plenty of naked bodies throughout my life, servicemen and women coming out of cryo, my Spartans, the varying degrees of undress of corpses, but I've rarely felt a thing when my eyes laid upon such features. For me to feel such a curious sensation towards the opposite sex, one that wasn't of the human species on top of that, it was more than a little unsettling.

As if to remind me of its existence, I felt a slight pull through the bond, no doubt from Karasuba, from the amusement I could feel from it.

I paused.

The bond… Could it be…? There was still plenty I didn't understand about it, but aside from being a psychic connection between the Ashikabi and Sekirei, can it also cause it to affect one another? Bring out subconscious desires or impulses of each party involved? Change one's behavior to suit the others wants and needs? Cause the one with the most psychic ability to turn the other one submissive towards their will?

As my thoughts continued to race, I could only feel a small ball of ice form in the pit of my stomach.

There was too many 'what if's' and unknowns involved, and not enough concrete evidence, and I hated being in the dark. If was going to be part of this 'Sekirei Plan' then I needed to be aware of the consequences of being bonded to such a creature and figure out how I could turn it into a benefit for myself and my mission.

…I found myself quickly beginning to hate the idea of psychic or mental connections the more I thought about it… What a pain…

I exhaled through my teeth. Best bet was to probably talk to Halsey and find out… then again, I doubt that she would be very amused with the fact that I was able to get involved in the first place.

I felt a slight shiver go down my spine.

Actually, she just might be pissed…

…Maybe someone else then…?

I walked towards the kitchen counter, opening one of the shelves and pulling out a bottle of sleep medication Ms. Miyamoto had prescribed me two weeks ago, the dosage adjusted accordingly with my specific augmentations in mind, being far higher than a normal human could ever take safely. Pouring three of the pills for one dosage into my bandaged hand, I tossed them into my mouth, pulling out a cup and filling it with water before drinking it to help them go down. I could feel Karasuba's eyes on my back as I stowed the cup and bottle of medication back to their proper locations.

As I made my way to my room, I heard the television go off, and furrowed my brows when I found Karasuba off the couch and saddled up next to me as I opened my door.

"…What are you doing?"

She gave me a nonchalant look in return. "Going to bed."

Oh… I forgot about that part. I only had one futon, having not ever expected any overnight guests, and did not have any spare futons or bedding. Not a single extra blanket or pillow beyond what was necessary for my own comfort.

"…I only have one futon." I told her carefully.

"And?" She looked bemused. "I'm fine with sharing."

I nodded earnestly. Yeah, it made sense, as I knew there was an etiquette that required hosts to prioritize the comfort of their guests while they were in their home. The only logical conclusion would be her taking the futon while I slept on the couch so-

My face blanked as I finally processed her words.

What?

I raised an eyebrow at her, and a dangerous looking smirk flitted across Karasuba's lips. "Don't make me repeat myself, I know you heard me the first time." She whispered as she went inside the room. I stared blankly after her, before pinching the bridge of my nose, trying my best to hold back the headache I can feel forming.

Was she messing with me, or was this something that Sekirei did something with their Ashikabi? Damn, but I felt if rejecting her might be a rather bad idea, as I had no clue of Sekirei and their culture, I didn't want to do something that might anger them while we slept under the same roof.

I glanced at the blade leaned against the couch, and noticed the rag on the coffee table, the smidge of faded red on the white cloth.

Yeah, it seemed like a really bad idea...

Unfortunately, I wasn't going to be able to relax enough to fall asleep if we really were going to sleep together in the same bed.

…God that just sounded wrong. Me, in bed with an alien.

Still, the realization that if something were to happen to me, she would likely suffer consequently was the only reason why I went ahead and took two more doses of my sleep medication. A bit more than I should have, but it would put me in a deep sleep quickly, to be sure, but if she was going try anything funny to me while I slept, she better do it right the first time…

…Because there would be no second chances. That I was sure of.

I turned off the remainder of the lights as I made my way to the bedroom, closing the door behind me and turning off the bedroom light as well.

I turned around, and for a moment, I couldn't help but stare.

Karasuba laid on the futon with the covers over her, but she had an eyebrow raised elegantly when she noticed my staring, but I couldn't help it, not right now.

With the moonlight filtering through the window, it only served to enhance her features. I noticed it before with Yume and the others, but at the moment, I was reminded at how… well, _attractive_ these creatures were compared to most human females… There was plenty about them physically that would make anyone believe they were humans at a glance, but as I _truly_ took in her appearance, I noticed that there was something… familiar about it as well. Oddly enough, the more I tried to figure it out, the more I was filled with a sense of longing…

"…Jo-chan." Karasuba's voice roused me out of my reverie. "Are you gonna come to bed or are you just going to stare at me all night?"

I ran my thumbs through my now slightly clammy palms, furrowing my brow at my sudden interest in her… appearance of all things…

The bond… it had to be because of that. Damn thing, not even twelve hours after getting it and I was already beginning to hate it…

Karasuba patted the spot next to her, another amused smile playing on her lips, and I clamored over wordlessly. Stiffly, I laid down on the edge of the futon, and she frowned in response, giving the spot next to her a firmer pat. I stared at her for a moment, before scooting close enough for her to throw the cover over me as well, less than arm's length apart as she laid her head on the pillow.

"Goodnight, my Ashikabi…" She murmured, a strange smile on her face, before she closed her eyes.

"…Night…" I mumbled back, looking up towards the ceiling as I waited for sleep to come. After a few minutes, the pills finally began to do their job, and despite the amount of tension I felt, my eyes began to close against my mind's protests not to sleep with a foreign entity right next to me.

Before I allowed sleep to claim me, I reached behind my head, underneath the pillow, and clenched the M6H hidden underneath it…

…Then I embraced the temporary oblivion…

* * *

Karasuba felt herself relax slightly as she heard his perfect breathing break and finally become a little heavier, unclenching the kitchen knife she had tucked to the back waistband of her panties.

She opened her eyes and sat up slightly when she was convinced he was truly asleep, propping herself up against her arm as she finally took her time to get a _real _good look at him.

His face, usually stern, had relaxed, giving him a slightly younger appearance than what she was used to. Karasuba traced her eyes along his strong jaw, to his thin lips, straight nose, and closed eyelids, drinking in every single detail that she could, something she's been doing every time when he wasn't looking.

Idly, she noted the slight freckles that dotted his cheeks. _'Cute…'_

She exhaled out of her nose softly as to not wake him up, her eyes never leaving John's face…

…Her _Ashikabi's _face…

It was almost a surreal thought. She had an _Ashikabi_ now, one that she chose on top of that.

When she admitted that she wasn't one hundred percent sure why she reacted to him, she wasn't lying. Even laying here now, next to the Ashikabi she was now winged to, did nothing more but perplex her slightly.

It wasn't like she hated him or anything. Nor did she think she would never get winged, not with the course of strength humanity had taken to recover from the Great War between them and the Covenant. She just didn't expect to react so _strongly_ to one so early in the Sekirei Plan. Not even thirty percent of all the Sekirei had been released yet, much less winged. Aside from the four that had been eliminated today as well, there hadn't even been any matches to that point. With the new possibilities of organized terrorist attacks against those in the Sekirei Plan to acquire their abilities, MBI had all but begun publicly elevating themselves to Force Protection Condition Charlie, a heightened alert state.

It left her and Yume quite busy, and if she remembered correctly, then they would have two new members joining them soon in their attempt to control the situation before things can get too out of hand.

She let her eyes wander down from John's face, towards his throat, where she could see the contours of his throat, the thick muscles surrounding it. It's only defense…

'_It would be too easy,'_ She thought darkly, a hint of familiar bloodlust grappling her. _'Despite all your strength, to kill you right now…'_ She could think of it easily enough as she clenched the kitchen knife once more. To pull it out and drag it across his throat. For his blood to gush out and his eyes to open in shock, while she would stare into them as their life faded. Would he give up when he realized what happened? Or would he struggle despite his wounds? Or even-

Karasuba bit her lip, suppressing her usual murderous tendencies. It was easier to do too, as she already had plenty of fun when her and Yume had found those two Sekirei-Ashikabi pairs that escaped the scene of the crime. While she didn't kill them, she sure enjoyed their screams of pain, along with their fear before Yume forced her to stop. She sighed as she laid back down on her back, pressing her palms against her eyes as she bit back a self-deprecating laugh.

'_The only person who reacted to me, probably the only person who would ever react to me, and all I can think about is all the ways I could kill you on our first night together…'_ She removed her palms, staring up blankly at the ceiling. "…I'm pretty disgusting, aren't I John?" She whispered softly.

He stirred slightly to the near silent sound of her voice but didn't respond. Seems like with all the sleeping pills he took; he was still a light sleeper. Was he always like that, she wondered, or was it because she was here?

It would make sense if it was the latter, but she found herself oddly uncomfortable with the thought.

Damn this bond…

Karasuba turned away from him, feeling a slight restlessness grow inside of her despite her attempts to go to sleep.

'_Well, I'm winged now Yume.' _She thought with a tinge of bitterness. _'What now?'_

On some subconscious level, even she was a bit repulsed by her near addiction to killing, to cause pain and suffering, but she felt like she was too far gone to change that now. It was that same addiction that tore apart the First-Generation Disciplinary Squad, as it was the only way of life available for her when they were first found so long ago…

Still, thinking of Yume also brought some guilt into her mind. Yume, who was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect Sekirei due to her core having no imperfections, no need for an Ashikabi because of that. Who longed for the bond she was able to achieve, hence the reason she always talked about love so much. Considered a scrapped number due to the sheer power she possessed. Then some guy comes and she's all over him, showing an interest in a person that Karasuba's never seen before. Sure, Yume tried to play it off, acting like her duties as the 'Sekirei of Fate' were more important, but she noticed her visits to that old crone Halsey to ask about him when she realized they had some sort of relationship. The sudden silent moments when she was talking about love, the wistful look in her eyes, as if she was looking at something Karasuba couldn't see.

But she could imagine _who_ it was...

And then she went ahead and winged the guy.

On top of having issues with being a good Sekirei to her Ashikabi, it would seem like she was also a bad friend…

Yume hadn't said anything when they met up to hunt down the Sekirei aside from giving her a small smile, but she couldn't help but feel like something between them had changed. It was why she was extra vicious when dealing with the weaklings, trying to relieve herself of those worrying thoughts that did nothing but distract her.

So, she tried to find out why her friend could be interested in such a guy. She did what she could to tease him, to agitate him, and aside from a few snappy comebacks and confused looks, he was still well composed.

If he had actually tried anything funny, then she was more than confident she could handle him. Problem was that thought didn't even seem to cross his mind. Even through the bond, she couldn't feel any malicious intent, nor any ill-natured thoughts. Aside from the small burst of confusion she felt when she attempted to see how he would react to her exposing herself, nothing.

Almost_ literally_, nothing. Even when she tried to get a better feel through their bond, it was like she was trying to break down wall that only seemed to remember that this bond business was a two-way street. Even the emotions she felt had been so small, _so tiny_, that she almost missed them half the time.

It was almost funny with the power she felt he had as an Ashikabi, that even though she barely felt him through the bond, the bond itself was _powerful._ Already, she noticed herself change ever so slightly, becoming comfortable around him even though he hadn't done much to gain her trust.

Enough that she was willing to share the same bed with him…

'_Who the hell did I bond with?'_ Karasuba thought, a hint of apprehension for the man sleeping next to her filling her.

She turned back over to face John, trying to notice if there was anything else irregular about him aside from his size and stature. That's when she noticed his eyes, almost unnoticeably, flickering beneath their eyelids.

Karasuba felt herself quirk an eyebrow. _'A nightmare?_'She thought, reaching up a hand towards his face despite herself.

Her fingertips, ever so lightly, brushed themselves against his cheek, the stubble on it scratching them.

"Who are you?" She wondered out loud, only to nearly jump when his bandaged hand slammed against her arm, trapping it against his chest as his eyes snapped open, his entire body tensed.

His intense blue eyes locked onto hers almost immediately, all traces of sleepiness gone from within them, his lips curling slightly into a frown as he glared. "…What are you doing?" He asked, his voice grave.

Karasuba blinked, unsure what to say for a moment, before she remembered something. Something Yume mentioned to her long ago, one of the things she wanted to do with the Ashikabi she could never have, something Karasuba had originally rolled her eyes about and did her best to ignore.

She could feel a small smirk grow on her face, and John looked slightly weary when he noticed it.

"Nothing much," Karasuba said, trying to keep her voice as casual as possible. "Just wondering how you would feel to be the big spoon," She could feel her grin get wider. "…Or the little spoon."

…If there was one thing she could count on in this odd situation she found herself in, was that her Ashikabi's bewildered face, one that twitched ever so slightly, never ceased to make her feel better.

* * *

"Matsu almost can't believe it Homura-tan!" Sekirei No. 02, Matsu, gushed excitingly. "A forbidden love, boy on boy, who knew you had it in you?" She finished with a small waggle of her eyebrows.

Sekirei No. 06, Homura -known by others by his alias, Kagari-, never wanted to wrap his hands around someone's throat so badly before.

"It's not like that." He snapped, before taking another shaky drag of his cigarette, trying to let the nicotine do its work.

From how badly he felt, it still wasn't working.

"The meeting is destiny~," She continued, grasping her rapidly reddening cheeks. "But is it destiny that will make you two fall in love with each other~?" she began to wiggle around, panting heavily. "My, my, how romantic~!"

Gritting his teeth at the perverted Sekirei, Homura rubbed his chest angrily. "Did you find him yet?" He snapped.

Matsu released a steamy breath as she calmed herself down. "Fufufufu," She pushed up her glasses slightly, the glare of the computers in front of her reflecting off the spectacles. "Child's play for someone like me!" She proclaimed, before beginning to type rapidly on her keyboard.

"Ahah!" She cried out triumphantly as she finally pulled his file after several seconds. "Hohohoho~, didn't know you were into the older man types too. He's also a pretty big guy," Matsu turned towards him, waggling her eyebrows as she took in the man's photo. "Fancy yourself being the 'bottom' while he's the 'top'? Or do you want it the other way?"

Homura just glared at her, even as she broke out into her perverted giggles.

Miya wouldn't mind if he burned, let's say, half the room, right? Because it was either that or he was going to strangle the pervert himself, rules be damned.

"Eh?" Matsu paused, her brows furrowing as she looked over the files. "That's odd…" She murmured; her previous antics forgotten as she looked at the information.

"What is it?" He asked, a bit perplexed at how quickly her attitude had changed. "What did you find?"

"…It's not much on what I could find," She said with some hesitance, making him worry even more. "…It's more on what I can't find out."

Homura came in close when she moved to the side, narrowing his eyes at the information on the screen. Or the _lack_ of it.

Black ink. So much of it, covered most of his information. Aside from his age, birthplace, name, and sex, almost everything was censored out. He could read and put together tidbits here and there, like how he had been a soldier for the UNSC Navy, only recently getting out for reasons unexplained. He filtered through the files, not finding much else in information, not even his rank in the UNSC or his enlistment date.

Still, even with this, he frowned at the hacker. "And? Can't you just remove this? You've done it before with MBI files before."

Matsu sighed in slight frustration, face pensive. "Well, that was because the firewalls protecting the information were rather light, and even then, I have to be careful not to get anything traced back to here…"

Homura frowned. "Then why can't you do the same here?"

"Well," She looked to the side. "…That's because the files weren't from the MBI databases." She admitted, a shred of guilt in her tone. "Just getting them in the first place was pretty hard itself."

"What?" She didn't look his way. "Matsu," He said slowly, beginning to feel concerned. "Where did you get the files?"

"It was only because MBI didn't have too much information! I thought was weird, so I looked towards other databases to see what I could-"

"Matsu." She grimaced as the air started to smell like ash. "Where?"

"Well, I might've hacked through some of the... Er…" She coughed lightly. "…ONI… databases."

Homura only furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Uh, okay? Is that a bad thing?"

She stared at him blankly, before remembering that it's been no more than a month since he was released from the labs. Of course he wouldn't know much. "Well, it's a military intelligence company for the UNSC. It's supposed to be nothing more than an information gathering and analysis department for them. Though there are plenty of rumors that suggest otherwise."

"Like what?"

"Oh, you know, subterfuge, espionage, deception, and top-secret weapons research and development, stuff like that." She said casually as she pushed her glasses up. "Like your average spy-movie agency ever." She hummed curiously, even as Homura began to pale with the information. "Wonder what a guy like him did for a group like that?"

Homura wanted to know too. While he hated MBI for what they were doing, if his 'chosen' Ashikabi was in league with an organization like this ONI on top of the UNSC, he could only imagine it wasn't for any benevolent purposes. He was already quite sick of unscrupulous organizations, and this knowledge only served to make him more wary of the man known as John Stark.

…He was beginning to wonder if that even was his real name at all…

"So you can't decrypt his files then?" he frowned when she shook her head.

"Not without likely getting traced back to here. The firewalls and security on these files are pretty high, I would likely need a Norito to be able to hack through them." She groaned in slight frustration. "Ah, Matsu wants to have an Ashikabi to experiment with too~!" She whined childishly. "Your so lucky Homura-tan! You've already found your Ashikabi, now all that's left for you is to lovingly elope and swap your thick, hot, DNA into each other fufufufu~." She began to pant heavily as she daydreamed, creepy chuckles escaping her lips as her glasses glinted. Her fingers making odd wriggling motions as she stared at the man's picture, feeling more than a little hot under the collar.

Homura just flushed darkly, scowling at her angrily as he scratched his chest. "…Damn pervert…" He growled as he inhaled more smoke from his cigarette.

"Fufufufu- eh?" Matsu stopped chuckling when one of her monitors let out a small beep. "Oh, looks like MBI updated their profile on him, think we could find the size of his- urk." She choked as she pulled up the newest piece of information, eyes budging underneath her glasses.

Homura blinked. "Matsu?" He asked hesitantly. "What's wro-?"

"He… he just got his first Sekirei…"

He blinked, unsure how to feel that the Ashikabi he was reacting to now had his own Sekirei. "Oh… Well, who is it?"

Matsu's hands shook slightly. "It was Karasuba…" She whispered in awed horror.

The still lit cigarette slipped from Homura's now numbed lips, falling onto the multitude of blankets scattered around the room.

Karasuba's Ashikabi… He was reacting to Karasuba's Ashikabi…

There had to be something out there that decided that he was going to be the butt of the universe. He must have done something horrible in the past life, because that was the only way he could explain all these damn things going on with him.

First, an unstable body. Then, the Ashikabi that he was reacting to was a man, instead of a woman. Now, to finish, he was Karasuba's -The damned Black Sekirei's- Ashikabi!

It really felt like something out there was just laughing at his misery.

'_Why me…?'_ He wondered.

As he agonized over his misfortune, his already unstable abilities, decided then and there to lash out. The room began to heat up, before, in a small flicker, one of the blankets on the edge of the futon suddenly combusted in flames.

Matsu blinked, idly realizing how hot it suddenly became. "What's that sme- Ahhh!" She shrieked when she saw the enlarged flame licking against the wall of her room. "Homura-tan! Homura-tan! The futons burning!" Quickly, she grabbed one of her pillows and began smacking it furiously in an attempt to put it out.

Homura's eyes went wide when he realized what he had just done. "Kuh!" He grunted in pain as his chest decided to contract violently, scratching at the area furiously. Still, he didn't allow that to keep him down, grabbing another one of the pillows and doing his best to assist. While he could turn flames on and off at his own will, with the unstableness his body and powers were currently suffering through, he didn't want to risk making the situation worse.

Still, they had to move quick, before Miya realized what was-

"Ara, ara," Speak of the devil and she shall appear. "Look at the two of you, if I didn't know any better I would've have thought you were trying to do your best to burn down the home my husband and I recreated." Frozen stiff, the remnants of the flame nothing more but smoking embers, they turned towards the voice, only to be met with an angelically smiling demon.

"Ah, no Miya-tan! It's- it's-" Matsu tried to explain to her, only for her eyes to widen when the outline of a mask began to form near the woman. The air around her warping from the sheer pressure of her malevolence. "K-Karasuba just got winged!" She shrieked as she latched onto the increasingly paling Homura desperately in fear from the landlady's wrath.

Miya went still for a few moments, her face missing the once peaceful smile, now increasingly blank of all emotions. "…Oh? So, she actually got a Ashikabi… I wonder who's the unfortunate soul who got attached to such a repulsive woman?" Even though her voice was still gentle, it carried a note of harshness towards it. The air around her continued to twist and turn as it prepared itself to conjure up something dark, something fearsome.

She didn't even wait for Matsu to move out the way as she came up, who squawked as she felt herself be pushed to the side, still holding on to Homura desperately.

Miya frowned, only to narrow her eyes when she saw the name of her shopping friend posted as the Ashikabi. "Oh my," She muttered, a conflicted feeling forming inside of her. "…This had turned into quite a difficult situation…" She muttered.

Homura and Matsu could only whimper behind her, holding to one another as the terrifying visage of a Hannya mask came to life in full force in response to Miya's displeasure. Blood began to pour liberally from its eyes, howling wind haunting the background despite the fact that they were indoors, like space was conforming itself to the lavenderette's cold anger.

Matsu trembled. "…You sure picked one hell of an Ashikabi…" She squeaked.

Homura could only stare blankly at the horror in front of him catatonically, his brain having shut off a while ago as it gave up trying to make sense of his situation.

...It was no use...


	10. Feather 10

_**On An Eagles Wings**_

_**((Author's note:**_

_***Removes shotgun from mouth* **_

_**Well, hello there.**_

_**Guess who's back?**_

…

_**Haha…**_

…

_**Sorry guys for the absence.**_

…

_**For those who care, it can be explained like this:**_

_**I was overseas for my job when I started this story, Covid hit, but I was on the other side of the world, so I didn't feel the backlash of it where I was as badly. Then April came by, and we were on our way back to the US, so we were working nonstop till June, when we came back home.**_

_**That was when everything sort of collapsed for me. Lots of personal issues, Covid related issues, work related issues, yadda yadda.**_

_**Well it put me in a bad place. I didn't even touch fanfiction until, like, 15 days ago, when I got all my stuff worked out.**_

_**But it's all good, sorta, but I'm back to writing. Hell, it only took me like, the beginning of this month to get back into the flow. **_

_**A bit worried about the flow and pacing of the story, as I'm still working out all the rust.**_

_**But I'm not dead, so… yay.**_

_**Some of you guys have been… REALLY supportive, and there's nothing better than coming back and seeing that support. I was like, 'damn, people still reading this?', but it still made me feel welcomed enough to get back into writing.**_

_**So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.**_

_**I'm gonna try to start working on Sancta Daemonium again, but In the Shadow of Gods… that might not be for a long while… I'm kinda scratching my head with it.**_

_**(Edit 9/12/20: Made a mistake with the deceased Sekirei, as I said No. 10 instead of No. 13, so don't worry Uzume lovers! She's still in the story!)**_

_**((SPOILERS!))) Avoid them if you don't want them!**_

_**Sekirei… are confusing as hell. Their backstories are pretty legit, along with plenty of their explanations, but there are some tidbits here, and there doesn't make a lick of sense, really. The whole thing about them being 'Creatures of love' and all, and the Master Chief being the way he is… heh, I've got my work cut out for me, I guess.**_

_**Turns out that canon John is a bit of a dreamer, so I tried to play with that bit.**_

_**More character interactions, a bit more exposition this chapter; hope I kept it entertaining enough.**_

_**Just dealing with the last of the consequences, ending with promises of a juicy future as we get the plot moving once more.**_

_**Also, it's rather interesting how the Yume/Karasuba relationship worked in the manga, along with the theories on it and how much it changed Karasuba in the manga when Yume died. Hope I'm putting it in a good enough light.**_

…

_**Big thing, though. Characters, specifically, their consistency, I'm doing my best, but even I have a hiccup everyonce in a while, but don't let me slide, as I want to be as true to them as I can for the setting of this story.**_

_**With things the way they are, I hope all of you guys and your loved ones are staying safe.**_

_**Please read and review. If anyone has any questions/comments/concerns, please PM me so we could discuss it (without any spoilers, of course).**_

_**And above all else, please enjoy the story!))**_

_**Feather 10**_

I was running.

All around me, children laughed. I laughed with them.

The sun shone brightly, the cool winds splashing across my face, contrasting the comforting heat I felt from the sun.

A woman whose face almost seemed to fade away like a mist, yelling, calling out, for me.

Someone gripped my shoulder, tightly.

I turned around, only to be faced with darkness as everything became frigid. Frantically, I looked around, the children were gone now, but their laughs remained, echoing in the distance.

Suddenly, I couldn't move, my limbs feeling stiff. I couldn't even turn my head up and down; it was like I was being held down, helpless to the unknown world around me.

Then, ice-cold steel pierced my body, my limbs… my head.

Then the whirring began, and the children's laughs became screams of agony.

Time seemed to stop as the pain continued, the iciness of my veins erupting as molten lava was poured into them.

Eventually, later, it halted, leaving me in a steady agony. I couldn't hear the children anymore.

Then, everything became hot. Too hot

A laugh, a deep, malevolent one that promised cruelty, echoed in my ears. Jeering at me, mocking me.

A bright light, one that was almost blinding, formed around me.

A slithering noise filled my ears, but I was unable to see anything past the piercing pillar of light surrounding me, but I could still see their shapes as they moved with an inhuman quickness around me. Never breaching past the edges of light as they continued to circle around me.

I tightly gripped the weapon in my hands, only to lurch when it became heavy, far too heavy.

My little hands grappled at the weapon, trying to lift it like I was trained to, but the clumsy digits couldn't grasp it properly.

Hooved feet appeared at the edge of my vision… and when I looked up, the four manibles on its face gave me a facsimile of a smile, its jagged teeth making it nothing more but a twisted parody.

The tentcles around me writhed gleefully, before diving towards me.

The light became brighter, and it was only when it fired, that I tried to yell.

* * *

The world was dead. Nothing breathed life. Nothing made a sound. All was silent.

Everywhere I looked, bodies upon bodies were stacked, as if the area I was in was a mass grave of some kind, nearly blocking out the vast skyscrapers surrounding us with how high they were. Human, Elites, Jackals, there was no discrimination on the species of the corpses.

All were littered with different types of wounds from what I could see, from plasma burns that had incinerated everything in its path, revealing the burnt insides to stabs and cuts, to dismemberment. There were even some that were nothing more but flat out pulps of meat with various colors of blood signifying their species.

The pungent smell of the decaying bodies, charred flesh, and ozone utterly drenched my senses, causing my nose to burn slightly.

Despite the horrific scene, I found myself calm, enduring all the carnage stoically.

After all, it was a scene I had quickly gone used to by the time I was seventeen.

Still, I found myself involuntarily averting my eyes when I saw the human bodies that were too small, too fragile, just to be one of another adult or adolescent.

A heavy feeling formed on top of my shoulders seeing it, reminding me that just because I was used to such scenes, it didn't mean I was okay with them.

…The haze I felt in my mind reminded me that not all was right, though…

I'm dreaming, I realized dimly, feeling a vague sense of annoyance with getting caught up with the distracting phenomenon.

I could feel eyes piercing my back from where I stood, but I ignored them. Instead, I looked up at the black-garbed figure in front of me as they walked into the scene quietly, being mindful of the bodies splayed around, treating the area as if it were hallowed ground.

His shock and horror were visible to me, even with the mask covering half of his face.

…I honestly began to wonder about the moment when I stopped caring about the body's I stepped on to accomplish my mission, treating them as nothing more but another obstacle…

…The massacre on Draco III might have had some part in it… I can't even care to remember anymore…

The scent of ash and smoke, faint before, became sharper as he approached me. Interestingly enough, as he got closer to me, his body began to self-immolate, fire bursting from the edge of his limbs, and climbing up them with each step he took. By the time he reached me, he was entirely engulfed by flames, but I could still make out the long black coat he wore, and his gray hair, both swaying from the vortices made from the heat of the fire.

Strangely, none of the corpses were ignited when they came into contact with the flames.

"Who?" The outline of his lips moved from under the cloth covering it, the horror and confusion in his voice evident by the way it trembled slightly. "Who are you?"

He stole the words right out of my mouth.

I just stared at him, albeit with some contemplation.

Unfortunately, my silence didn't seem to bode well with the man, who clenched his fist angrily, his face tightening from under the mask. The fires around him exploded, roaring around me in a circle, surrounding me.

"WHO?!" He barked, and as if responding to his anger, the flames consumed my body. Despite my sudden immolation, I felt the urge to panic as there was no pain from the fire. No heat.

"…" I could only stare flatly at him at his impulsive actions, unamused.

He just continued to glare back at me

…Seems like someone was a bit of a hothead…

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly as I awoke, a little disgruntled from the odd dream. The ceiling greeted me, and to my slight surprise, rays of light filtered themselves through the blinds, the sun already high in the sky. It had already been quite late by the time I went to sleep last night -technically earlier this morning, so the fact that the scene I had fallen asleep had changed somewhat proved that I likely got more of it than usual. It seems like the extra sleeping pills did their job.

I still felt some slight annoyance from Karasuba waking me up last night the way she did…

She needs to learn to keep her hands to herself and far away from me.

I inhaled deeply, slowly releasing my breath as my body slowly pushed past the postsleep grogginess affecting it. I lifted my left hand, intent on using the tips of my fingers to try to work out the sleepiness still remain-

A body splayed itself against me, arm falling against my abdomen.

Immediately I pulled out my M6H2 from under my pillow and pressed the barrel against the mess of gray hair currently tickling the tip of my nose. _My finger twitched, putting pressure on the trigger before-_

My breath and finger froze when my mind finally processed just _who_ was lying on half my body.

I stared incredulously at the slumbering face of Karasuba- _my Sekirei,_ who had decided to roll over in her sleep. Her body curled against mine and her head using my chest as a makeshift pillow of a sort. Her arm laid limply on top of my stomach.

I slowly breathed out of my nose as I loosened my finger from the trigger and stuffed the weapon back under my pillow. I flicked its safety back on as a precaution.

…First thing in the morning and I just almost killed someone by accident just because I was surprised…

While part of me was pleased that my reactions haven't seemed to have dulled since I've retired, another part of me, fully aware of the bond Karasuba and I shared, hoped this type of incident was a one-time thing.

Then again, old habits are hard to kick. Still, that's not exactly a good excuse to use…

… I probably should invest in another futon just in case, because _if _there is a next time, I might not be able to catch myself in time…

I glanced at her, a person, who for all intents and purposes, was an unknown. A foreign entity. One that had decided to intrude in what should have been my personal domicile, without allowing me any room to have my say.

My thumb rested on the safety.

…Then again, maybe if there _were_ to be an accident…

Catching that grim train of thought, I squeezed my eyes shut and banished it.

She was still dressed in my shirt, the loose collar deciding to slope down her right shoulder while she slept, exposing supple pale flesh that -to my keen eye- was marred by a silvery scar that ran down from it onto her collar bone towards her breasts before disappearing into her -my- clothing.

My scrutiny was suddenly ended when she began to stir, likely from my movements, her gray eyes fluttering open as she dug her head into my chest with a small grumble. I felt apprehensive as she lifted her head off my chest, staring at me with bleary eyes as she awoke.

Karasuba blinked, almost lazily. "…What are you doing awake?" She muttered. "Go back to sleep..." With her piece said, she tried to do just that, her head retaking its position on my chest.

I inhaled, then exhaled.

Yeah… no. This amount of contact between us was not necessary.

I jostled my left arm from her grip, before putting my hands on her shoulders and shoving her off me. She rolled off the futon with a loud grunt, the blanket wrapping around her into a bundle until she resembled a burrito when she stopped.

She squirmed from her position to look up at me, frowning. "Well, that's not nice."

I ignored her, rolling away and getting up before moving towards the closet, placing my M6H2 on top of the drawer as I pulled out a pair of sweatpants.

"What are you even going to do right now?" I heard Karasuba sigh behind me. "The sun's barely up."

I carefully tucked the magnum into the waistband of my sweatpants, making sure to keep it from her sight, before throwing my shirt over it. "Just going to make breakfast."

It was already too late for my early morning runs, not that it was an option anymore.

With the revelation of what was going on here in Japan and the Insurrectionist's part in it, it would be better to do what I can to keep myself out of their crosshairs. Activities I often did on my own, where there may not be any witnesses, would have to be worked around to prevent any possible collateral damage until I got a better understanding of the situation.

I heard her sigh and futon shuffle a bit before I took a glance her way. She had taken my previous position on the futon, snuggling deeper into the sheets and pillows as she went back to sleep.

Shaking my head, I slipped on my slippers and walked out of my room, closing the sliding door behind me before moving towards the kitchen. Starting the coffee maker, I began to prepare breakfast, pulling out a carton of eggs, a few cuts of steak along with a few vegetables, and several pans. As good as Japanese food was, preparing 'westernized' Earth cuisine was something far more familiar for me to do. With it being the staple food with the military on both colony worlds and starships.

As I began to cook, taking careful measures due to my injured hand, I began to think about what had occurred when I had been sleeping.

As well as who that masked person was.

I dreamt plenty of times throughout my life, before and after the war. Dreams about better days back when I trained with the other Spartan-II trainees. The blurry, vague memories of my childhood before I was conscripted. Of my fears and anxieties that clung to my subconsciousness before I sortied to a mission. Of my failures during and before the war. Of the horrors I was forced to face as Humanity lost colony after colony.

Dreams about the people I lost or had to leave behind, unable to save them. Even when they were right there in front of me…

"…" I stared at the chopped vegetables, feeling my throat tighten a bit as I repressed the memories that came unbidden from the thought.

Sighing, I threw pieces into the pan before cracking several eggs on top of them. I turned my focus towards the meat, seasoning them with a fistful of various spices Miya had suggested to me during one of our shopping get-togethers the best I could with one hand before putting them into a separate pan.

Time had taught me how to always be able to recover readily from each experience, noting the events dispassionately before going on with the day. Dreams were nothing more but a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations the mind would involuntarily create while asleep after all. Some I would remember with startling clarity; some I couldn't even give a second thought to even if I tried. Given what I've been part of the majority of my life, it only made sense why I would have them, not like I told anyone about them. Not even Dr. Miyamoto knew of anything regarding my issues sleeping aside from getting a lack of it.

This dream, though, was different.

Compared to the others that I went through that were often out of my control, or I was unaware of my state until a certain point, I was utterly lucid from the very beginning of this one.

It had been an odd experience. It was almost like being awake as I remembered the vivid smells, the scenery just about as pristinely as possible. The masked garbed man was one particular detail of the dream that caught my attention, someone who had seemed to have angst and confusion roll off him in waves as he became angry with my stoicism and the scene laid out before him.

If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that I was having some sort of episode brought on by possible past trauma. Though, that wasn't possible, as I've been trained to be resilient to prevent such a thing from affecting me.

I blinked when a drop of boiling oil struck my hand, taking me from my thoughts. I frowned and flipped the steaks before going onto the vegetable omelets, having added extra portions for my new guest.

I decided to drop my previous line of thought, deciding it would be best to focus on the food, as I had already learned of the possible consequences that can happen when I chose to become distracted while cooking. It was one of the reasons why I was so firm when it came to buying ingredients when they were on sale or discounted in the store.

Not to mention that the cooking fires that resulted from my negligence had been a rather… enlightening experience. As well as eating ruined food afterward.

Let it be known that I was not a wasteful person… no matter how violently my body had reacted to the inedible concoctions, that was my cooking at the time…

It was a little while until I heard the bedroom door open, and a bedraggled Karasuba exited, tiredly rubbing her eyes. Even with her appearance- still dressed in my clothes, she looked a lot better than when we went to sleep, the bags under her eyes being a lot less defined than before.

I lessened the heat on the stove, placing a cover on the pans before opening a shelf and retrieving two mugs. I poured some of the freshly brewed coffee into them before handing one to Karasuba when she approached.

She eyed it for a moment before taking it with a small murmur. "Thanks… Got any cream and sugar?"

I raised a brow at the question, taking note of the rather reserved attitude she had compared to last night, before pointing at one of the shelves. "Sugar's in there… No cream, though." I watched her as she went and grabbed the bag of sugar, before feeling a bit of surprise when she put a fair amount in her coffee, stirring it in before drinking it with a small sigh.

Was that a trend or something I didn't know of yet that civilians did? Putting sugar into your coffee? And the cream she was talking about… what did they need that for? What did it do for the coffee?

Hm… Coffee in itself had been a luxury item near the end of the war, often only being had by high ranking Officers or senior NCOs while in starship travel. I was aware that there were multiple blends scattered across the colonies, but were there also different ways to prepare it? Maybe it was a cultural thing?

Now that I thought about it, there were those coffee shops all over Shinto Tokyo that I've seen while walking around. Never been to one myself personally, as I didn't think I would need to since I often had coffee at home. I should probably go to one once I've got this Sekirei Plan business wrapped up, see what the fuss is about for myself.

I shook my head before resuming my cooking as Karasuba made her way to the living room. I heard the television turn on, and the soft murmur of sounds emitting from it.

When the food was finished, I carefully took out two plates and filled them with what I could fit in them.

"…Breakfast is ready," I called as I went to pull out the silverware.

Karasuba got up from the living room at my call, stretching a bit before heading over to the kitchen and grabbing her plate.

"Finally," She muttered as I passed her the utensils. "I'm starving."

As we sat at the little dining table, I took a few bites of my food, but soon found myself eyeing her as she began to cut a chunk of steak. This would be the first time someone would try my cooking since I became a civilian, and I found my shoulders slowly becoming stiff as I watched her bring the morsel of food towards her lips.

She chewed slowly, and I had to stop myself from leaning onto the table in order to see her reacti-

Karasuba looked up from her plate, raising an eyebrow as she ate. "You need something, Jo-chan? I'm gonna start blushing if you keep staring so hard."

I averted my eyes immediately, poking at my food with a fork. "No, I-," Exhale, relax, there's no reason to be rattled over something so simple as someone's opinion on your cooking. "…What do you think?"

"What? Of the food?" She shrugged a bit at my nod. "It's alright. Not that great compared to the meals back in Teito Tower, but those are five-star meals compared to most places."

I cocked my head a little- did that mean that she thought it was good or not?

Still, I found my shoulders relaxing as she continued to dig into her meal. Regardless of what she thought of it, if it was good enough for her to continuously eat it, then it must fit some part of her palate.

Feeling somewhat satisfied at my observations, I went to dig into my own plate, only to frown when I was stopped from doing so due to my injured hand. With the bone-knitting polymer in my hand, it created a sort of 'cast' around the bones, like cartilage, stimulating the osteocytes to reproduce at higher rates to heal the affected area. Though, because of this 'cast'- while flexible, it made it hard to use my hand for more dextrous activities.

Like, for instance, wielding a knife to cut into my food.

I frowned a little, before shrugging and stabbing into the steak with my fork, lifting it up and tearing a sizable chunk off with my teeth without caring about tableside manners.

"My, aren't you a hungry one?" I looked up to see Karasuba grinning at me, a teasing edge to her.

In response, I raised my bandaged hand, and the grin on her face lessened as she thoughtfully hummed as she looked at my plate. A few of her facial muscles twitched a bit oddly- her brow furrowing, before she relaxed and shrugged, picking up the remote and raising the volume of the television.

"…_and on this morning's news," _The Japanese newswoman spoke, her grim tone contrasting starkly to the polite smile on her lips. _"Valentine's Day, a day to celebrate love and affection, ended in tragedy for some in the Kabukicho district. Spirited Away, a local bar known for its amount of exotic and expensive liquors from both the Inner and Outer Colonies from before the war, suffered from a faulty gas line, resulting in an explosion that killed two while injuring a dozen others. Luckily, emergency responders were quick on the scene, tending to the wounded while evacuating nearby businesses to prevent another incident from occurring. Japan's Department of Safety has sent several Inspectors to investigate what exactly happened to cause such a tragedy, to make sure it could be prevented from ever happening again."_

The screen shifted, depicting a Japanese newsman this time.

"_Likewise, the sudden fault shift that occurred just a few blocks from the area has emergency units scrambling to take care of those in need. Possible theories for the structural damage is the mix of Earthquakes that had been occurring regularly in Japan for the past month, alongside the damaged gas line. Again, we urge the residents of Japan to always have safety measures in place for themselves and their families in case these events occur in their area. MBI, like with all other cases, has teamed up with the Japanese government to help provide relief and aid to those affected by these occurrences. This is what the Prime Minister of Japan, Hitomi Nagasawa, had to say…"_

My chewing had slowed to a halt as I listened to their explanations of the night prior until I was doing nothing more but clenching my jaw.

It seems like what Soren told me was right in the end. The news was skewed to prevent the population from knowing what was truly going on. From the looks of things, it was working.

Still, I found myself finding it hard to wrap my head around the idea that people were so willing to be told to look away so quickly. Was it fear on their part? Apathy? Ignorance?

"You're thinking too hard about it," Karasuba's voice brought me from my thoughts. She sat on her chair, legs folded on top another as she inspected her knife, dragging a dainty looking finger on its edge. "People are weak, willing to cling to any assurances they can get from the strong so they can feel as if their little lives matter in the grand scheme of things." A chuckle. "It's pathetic, really."

My palms began to itch as I clenched my fork tightly.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What do you mean?"

"If Soren-bouzu was the one who talked to you, with whatever relationship you two share, then I'm sure he told you of the amount of control MBI has here." Karasuba flipped the knife in her hand, catching the bladed end between her fingers gracefully. She waggled the handle towards me. "With things becoming the way they are, people are going to suffer. They're going to get hurt. Maybe even die, but you don't need to focus on such things, for the weak will always perish in the end. It's the curse they were born with."

I inhaled, wondering where this thought process was coming from.

'…_I should've been trying to save every single human life, no matter the cost...'_

…I just couldn't bring myself to agree with her.

"So, what should I do then?" My words were curt, but I couldn't hold back the slight bite in them. "Just let them die if something were to happen?"

It would go against the whole point of why I was created…

She stared at me quietly, eyes intent. I could feel myself beginning to tense up in response to the sudden silence between us, but I remained firm.

Her gaze felt like that of a predator. Like the wolves back on Reach. I idly began to think of the M6H2 still tucked into my waistband, wondering if I could draw quicker than she could reach for her sword by the couch.

…Maybe Soren was onto something with the whole 'mad dog' comparison.

The standoff between us was broken when Karasuba shrugged her shoulders, a teasing smirk on her lips as she began to twirl the knife in her hand casually. "The wind blows, rain falls, and the strong prey upon the weak. It's that simple, Jo-chan. You can't fight nature."

"…I'm not going to let that happen…" I replied grimly, and she let out a dark chuckle, seemingly taking pleasure in my discomfort with her words.

My eye twitched as she reached over the table, brushing a hand over my cheek, almost fondly. My neck began to throb as a warm pulse went through my head. "Then I guess that means I can't let anything bad happen to you then. After all, _I'm _the one who makes the bad things happen to other people." She smiled widely, revealing her pearly whites. "I'll make sure that when they think of messing with us, their blood will go cold."

"..…" I frowned in response, holding back the slight tremor of excitement that went through my body at the thought of engaging in conflict once more. I instead brushed off her hand away from my face and went back to my meal. "…I see."

Karasuba hummed, a satisfied look on her face as she stood up, taking her now empty plate towards the kitchen. "Just making sure we're on the same page, Jo-chan."

I sat there quietly as she left, before sighing and digging back into my meal.

What a piece of work...

* * *

I grunted as I continued to drag the towel around my damp hair, freshly showered, and dressed out of my sleepwear into one of my newly bought outfits. I sat by the Smart Home console of the apartment, checking for any messages that may have been sent to me while I had been asleep.

I would be lying to myself if I were to say I was surprised by seeing the multiple messages on the list. Of course, most of them were nothing more but promotions and advertisements from the local businesses in Japan. Offering services like 'full-body massages' from local parlors, something to do with 'idol concerts,' and an ad for supplements to 'increase my size'- whatever that meant.

I ignored those and instead focused on the last two, the recipients being from Dr. Miyamoto and Dr. Halsey.

I opened up the former's first.

**FROM: Dr. Rei Miyamoto**

**TO: John Stark**

**SUBJECT: Some Concerns**

**Stark-san, it has come to my attention of your involvement with the event that had occurred last night. I hope to talk to you as soon as possible about it, if possible.**

**Please reply to this message as soon as you possibly can, Stark-san.**

Sighing, I idly wondered how she found out to send me a message so soon. It was only a few hours after I had gotten involved in the Sekirei Plan, after all. I began wondering just how much she knew of what was going on as well, working under MBI and all.

Deciding to hold out on replying, I backed out and picked Halsey's.

**FROM: Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey**

**TO: John Stark**

**SUBJECT: Come Immediately**

**We need to talk.**

"….." I stared at the monitor blankly, feeling my forehead beginning to perspire.

…I'm not sweating; I'm just suffering through some hot flashes. I did take a relatively warm shower, after all.

Seriously now, how is it that everyone seems to know what I'm doing? I'm not that much of a risk to everyone around me, am I?

I reread the message a few times, looking for any hints of what Halsey could possibly be feeling, placing the towel around my neck.

Well… It didn't _seem_ like Halsey was mad, but-

A sweet scent invaded my nostrils.

"Hm~," I almost jumped when damp locks of hair tickled my neck, right next to the Neural Interface that was implanted there. Craning my head, I was met with a still wet Karasuba hovering over my shoulder, just having finished her shower, the towel being the only thing protecting her modesty. "Seems like someone's in trouble~." She hummed, gazing at me from the corner of her eye. "You should see the old hag before she starts to throw a fit and does something stupid. I know I had enough of that when I had to look after her."

I narrowed my eyes at her choice of words to describe the woman that had taken care of me most of my life. "Don't call her that," I grunted, ignoring the ticklish feeling in my core as I saw her state of undress. Likely another symptom of the bond. "Besides, I'm sure she just wants to talk is all."

Karasuba exhaled, and my eye twitched when the released air tickled my ear uncomfortably.

First Yume, now Karasuba; was the concept of 'personal space' really that foreign to their species? Or was Yume just weird and Karasuba merely acting out of the bond we shared? Was it a matter of how they were raised? It had to be something since I didn't have this issue with Miya.

From the corner of my eye, I saw that damned smirk on her face again as she pulled back away from me.

…Yeah, I have the strong feeling she's likely doing this on purpose.

She brushed her fingers through her damp hair as she walked away from me towards the bedroom, and I averted my eyes out of respect for her privacy when she dropped the towel.

Then I did a double-take, noticing the black tattoo on the back of her neck that _definitely _wasn't there previously when she jumped into the car during my pursuit. Remembering the flashes of light that had come from the neck's of the other Sekirei I killed last night, I wondered if that mark had anything to do with our bond. Idly, I began to ponder if there were any other differences, trailing my eyes down from her neck, going down the curve of her back, taking note of the slim muscles that framed her body, towards the flair of her hips before-

I looked back at the Smart Home console when she turned around.

"Heh," I heard her chuckle. "Well, either way, I've got to come in today to make some reports about last night. Soren-bouzu is coming by to give me a ride, might as well come with us if you need to. Saves you the walk."

Damn, do I really have to ride with that guy? Besides, it wasn't like we were working with each other just yet. I still wasn't sure if I should even trust anything he told me last night considering the type of person he was…

I thought about the card the MBI employee, Natsuo Ichinose, gave me when I initially came to my apartment a month ago. I debated whether or not to pick him up on his offer for assistance regarding my stay but quickly decided against it; No point in allowing my personal feelings of who used to be an enemy to get in the way and cause other people more problems. I was able to let it go with the Arbiter; there was no reason why I couldn't do the same here.

"That's fine," I muttered as I began to type in my responses to the messages, telling them I would be in today. Shutting off the console, I placed down my towel and threw on my brown jacket and glasses, letting the HUD in the lenses boot themselves as I sat down on the couch and grabbed my datapad. I started looking for several articles about the 'incidents' going on around the city, finding similar results likened to the one I saw this morning on the news.

If there was one thing I had to admit about the whole situation, it was that MBI was quite prepared for the rather delicate circumstances that had arisen due to this 'Sekirei Plan.'

Now I had to see if they could keep it up and leave those who weren't part of the plan where they belonged, out of the line of fire.

"Ready to head out? Soren-bouzu's already outside waiting." Karasuba's voice brought me out of my musings, looking up to find her putting her hair in a ponytail, already dressed in her black uniform, with that grey coat back over her shoulders.

"Yeah," I replied, getting up and grabbing my hat and securing it over my head as we got our own footwear on at the door.

I noticed her raised eyebrow. "What?"

She shrugged. "Why do you wear glasses? You didn't have them before when we first met, why wear them now? Trying to look fashionable or something?"

Frowning, I adjusted the piece of eyewear in question, pushing it further up my nose. "…They were a gift."

"From the old hag?"

I was beginning to hate her lack of respect for the one who raised me. Though, to be fair to her, it's not like she knew of our shared past with one another. "Yeah…" I muttered as I swung open the door. "Let's move."

Luckily for me, I didn't run into any of my neighbors on the way down to Soren's vehicle. If there was one thing this past month had taught me about civilians, was how nosy they could be when it comes to other people's business. Now with the addition of the gray-haired alien by my side, it was far too easy to imagine the waves of unnecessary questions that would be thrown my way if the wrong person saw me and word got out. Nothing more but other issues that I didn't need.

Speaking of Soren, I had to squint a bit when I finally saw him out of his armor with what must've been his everyday wear- a rather expensive looking black three-piece suit, tie and all, with a wool coat over it. A pair of black leather gloves covered his hands, hiding his augmented prosthetics.

…Looks like working for a conglomerate like MBI had quite the financial benefits for some.

He flashed me a forced smile when we approached him. "Good to see you, John. Did you give my offer any thought yet?"

"A little bit," I muttered. "Hasn't been that long since you made it."

The forced smile on his face became a little more relaxed at my response. "True. Speaking of which, here." He handed me a small, single strap backpack.

I raised an eyebrow when I peeked inside; a shoulder holster, a hip holster with the revolver I took from Downes last night inside of it, and a… karambit?

"I noticed your lack of hardware when we met," Soren said when I gave him a questioning look. "That might've been alright when you were simply playing civilian, but you're part of the plan now, so you're going to need something reliable." He gave me a wry look. "Besides, the waistband isn't the best place to put your sidearm in. Good place for a negligent discharge, not to mention it'll cause a fuss if a civilian sees it. Japan's gun laws are a lot stricter here, so best not to be caught."

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied before adding after a moment of hesitation. "…Thanks."

"Anytime."

Later, while we were on the road, I sat back into my seat, the comfortable weight of my sidearm now settling under my left shoulder.

"Better?" Asked Soren, eyes still on the road as he drove.

I nodded in response. "Better, is there any more information on the attack yesterday?" I asked.

Soren shook his head. "Unfortunately, we're still figuring things out, but we have some ideas on where to start looking."

"Which are?"

He gave me a sidelong glance. "I'm afraid that's a matter for the MBI Security Force to know, Mr. John Stark. Unless you agree to help us."

I narrowed my eyes at him before staring outside the window. "…I told you I'm still thinking on it."

"Take your time then..."

Karasuba huffed behind us. "Well, aren't you two just a jolly couple of friends."

I didn't even move. "…That was a long time ago…"

Soren didn't say anything to that.

The rest of the car ride was left in silence.

* * *

"Two, John. You killed two of them."

I resisted the urge to fidget as Halsey paced back and forth in front of me, sitting stiffly in my chair, back ramrod straight.

We were in her 'prison' as she called it, some type of office with laboratory equipment scattered about that she kept inspecting as she paced about.

Like she said- well furnished, but what she could do inside and outside was limited, judging from the cameras in every corner.

Halsey barely gave herself time to blink as she backed away from the microscope before she was rapidly tapping away at the datapad she held. "Shot them in the head."

I glanced down at my hands. I won't apologize for my actions. I did what I had to do.

But…

"…Are you mad?"

A sigh, and finally, the maelstrom of activity finally ceased for a moment. "Admittingly, no. You promised to try, and you did well for a whole month and a half. Of course, with what happened and where you were, it wasn't surprising to find out that you went ahead and got yourself involved in it all. I can't fault you for doing what you've been trained to do your entire life." Her brow creased. "No, at the most, I'm annoyed."

I raised a brow, and she barely gave me a glance before she resumed her work.

Silence stretched between us as she moved back and forth along the room. After a while, she finally stopped with a small sigh, likely already having deduced my unasked question.

"The Sekirei are a unique species. Despite having a very human appearance and biology, they don't operate like most do, as you saw for yourself when you engaged them. Superior strength and agility higher than most that put them on par with you and other similarly augmented humans, MJOLNIR armor notwithstanding."

"Yeah…" I rubbed my bandaged hand. "…I've noticed."

"But," She ignored my dry comment. "Even with their unique physiology, that isn't what makes them so special."

"What do you mean?"

"Normally, when most living beings get shot in the head, they are more than likely to die."

My eyes narrowed before falling flat from that _exact_ detail.

Of course, they do… but where was she going with this?

Halsey continued, having noticed my action but choosing to ignore it. "Some survive such injuries, usually having to deal with the brain damage from such a wound that may cause them to struggle for the rest of their life. Nothing modern medicine can fix, of course, but it will depend if they can afford it."

I crossed my arms and leaned back against my seat, a bit perplexed.

What was the point she was trying to make?

"While what you did to the Sekirei was undoubtingly fatal and ending in their deaths, they…" Halsey paused for a moment, almost in hesitation, before inhaling slowly. "…They can be revived. _In theory._" She stressed the end as hard as possible.

Even so, it still was enough to make me start a bit, causing me to straighten up in my chair, fully focused on what the doctor had to say.

"…How?" I wondered. What she just said was not only scientifically impossible but if there was any truth to what she said, then this might be bigger than I initially thought. This was something that could affect Humanity as a whole if the proper research and testing were done.

…There was no doubt in my mind that with ONI involved, everything going on with the Sekirei was likely some sort of experiment, legal or not, that they would try to use to benefit Humanity in the long run. The problem was that I still wasn't aware of their goal, what type of endgame they were likely searching for.

I didn't allow myself to get carried away by such thoughts as Halsey spoke. "I will admit, I was introduced to the whole Sekirei Plan long after it was lifted off the ground and funded. I only know what they tell me, which isn't much." She let out a frustrated sigh. "Anyways, the theory that I know of is that when a Sekirei is- to put in other words, terminated, they go into a sort of pseudo-stasis state." She elaborated when I sent her another blank look in confusion. "The Sekirei's abilities- their strength, stamina, and 'powers,' come from a sort of core they all have."

"A core?" What, like a starship? That didn't make any sense; how was that even biologically possible? And what did she mean by powers? Did they have even more abilities than the ones I've already seen?

Now that I thought about it, that Kagari fellow seemed to be able to use flames to some extent given the way he suddenly combusted -perhaps he couldn't control it? At the same time, Hibiki was able to throw lightning projectiles from her fingertips, along with that woman who I guess was her twin sister I saw later on.

Did that mean that they all have elemental abilities? And if they did, then what elements did it extend to? Could they control plasma as well? Could it be that their powers didn't lie in just the elemental spectrum? Karasuba, Amebane, nor Yume haven't shown any sort of ability aside from being physically stronger or faster from what I've seen so far. Did that mean-?

I cut off that train of thought before it could get the better of me. I was beginning to overthink again, a habit picked up from leading for so long during the war. There was just not enough information to start making any hard conclusions, much less counter-strategies for these alien species.

Still, the more I heard about the Sekirei's, the less I found myself wanting to get into another altercation with them, given on how underequipped I currently was, I wasn't sure if I could come out on top.

Not without possibly becoming injured severely, or even killed…

My neck itched; If only I had my armor… that would help even out the playing field…

And there were one hundred and eight of them too? Well, one hundred and five now, given the two I killed and the one I winged…

I could feel a slight headache beginning to build, causing me to drum my fingers on my thigh.

Oblivious to my inner musings, Halsey answered my question. "Yes, a core, believe it or not. On top of being the source of their power, it's also what powers their very existence. You destroy the core, even if there are no physical or mental ailments, they will cease to function, becoming nothing more than a warm breathing shell. No method of treatment will be able to bring them back."

My eyes narrowed.

That's way too much information gained from supposed simple observations. That would have to mean…

"I'm guessing that means there's one less Sekirei to worry about for the plan." I assumed flatly.

Immediately, she averted her eyes, staring intently at the datapad clasped tightly in her hands. Telling me exactly what I needed to know.

Hm… One hundred and four then… Makes things a bit simpler…

All for the benefit of Humanity, in the end, I suppose…

"The core," Halsey ignored my implications, continuing on. "Is also connected to their Sekirei Crests," She pointed to the base of her neck. "They have here. They receive them when they become winged and lose them when they are terminated. Which happens when they either receive enough bodily damage, lose their crest, or are killed."

Huh, so they aren't tattoo's like I initially thought then. It does explain why the Sekirei's necks glowed after I shot them.

"When terminated, the Sekirei's core is what puts the body in these pseudo stasis states for a while afterward, which then we put them under cryo until further notice. When you killed No. 13 and No. 21, we originally believed them to have reached their 'deaths' as living creatures and therefore unrecoverable, the next possible step seemed to be an autopsy of their bodies for further research."

She scoffed. "Imagine our surprise when, after recovering them, we found out that the final dreds of their core were stubbornly preserving their bodies, keeping them from truly dying. We acted immediately and put them in cryo-pods as per standard procedure." She sighed, gesturing to her lab. "Which now leads us to here, with MBI telling me to figure out how to bring them back."

While I now had a better understanding, even though I was still a little confused about a few things, somethings still didn't add up. "Why give you the responsibility to revive them if it's still a theory?"

Halsey sent me a sardonic look in response. "Remember, Linda?"

My brow furrowed. Linda? What did she have to do with-?

…Oh…

…_Oh…_

"On the UNSC Gettysburg," I muttered. "When you resuscitated her after she was killed on the UNSC _Circimfirance_ during the Fall of Reach."

"Hm, _clinically _dead to be specific, and I was only able to save her because you put her in cryo before her body could truly die after she flatlined, but yes. I'm not sure how MBI found out about that, most likely due to the debriefing reports and armor cams footage ONI likely acquired after you all got back to Earth, but now they placed this responsibility on my shoulders. Unfortunately for me, this situation is harder and more tedious than before; after all, Linda only took a plasma globule to the back of the head. Her brain remained relatively intact. But I can fix something like this… probably… It's a good thing MBI is in the lead for the latest cutting edge medical equipment…"

She sighed. "Which is why I'm a bit annoyed with your actions, John. As I'm sure you've noticed, but the brain is quite the involved organ. It has a complex nature to it, and you blew chunks of it all over the hood of a car and the road."

I sagged a bit in my seat, glancing down at my hands in response, having nothing to really say to that. "Apologies," I muttered.

"No use crying over spilled milk. What's done is done, John. No, what I really called you in for is to tell you something important." For the first time I entered the room, Halsey placed the datapad down, locking eyes with me. "Refrain from killing any further Sekirei. Contrary to what you may have seen, they are not your enemy."

My brows shot upwards in some surprise. "Ma'am?"

Why would she say something like that? Has she not seen what they can do when they are trying to kill you? How dangerous were these creatures, casually throwing around their abilities and powers in public without any form of discretion?

As a grim reminder, my left hand decided to ache rather fiercely.

"Some Sekirei may be… misguided and ignorant of how human culture and society works, but they aren't out for Humanity. Most of them have lived a sheltered life in a laboratory and are unsure human societal norms or culture..." she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sahashi is better at explaining this than me…" She muttered under her breath. "Listen, John. Just avoid killing the Sekirei if you can; they aren't bad, but easily manipulated to do things like you saw last night. It's something MBI and ONI would like to get a handle of. Still, if anyone of them come after you, they would like you to just terminate them to the point of them losing their crest… Especially because this whole 'putting back a brain together' business is all still a theory."

I stared at her for a few moments, before nodding my head, not fully understanding but listening to her nonetheless. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good," Halsey said, a somewhat satisfied look on her face. "But if you deem it absolutely necessary to prevent the loss of life, limb, or eyesight, do what comes naturally. Now then, are there any more questions you have before you go? I know you don't enjoy going into things half-cocked."

"Just some concerns, ma'am."

"About what?"

I hesitated for a moment; I knew she was a busy woman, but my mind was still racing with all the possible questions I could ask. ONI's endgame. MBI's agenda. The Sekirei, and their abilities, even possibly their origins...

Though, I refrained from asking those, as the most important to me right now was…

"The bond…" It was something that had been unnerving me for a while now, given its almost supernatural origins. The thoughts I had from last night coming to the forefront of my mind. "What is it exactly? Will I be… compromised?"

Halsey raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'compromised'?"

"Mentally defenseless. Emotionally unstable. Does the bond cause servitude in a human in any way? Affect the Ashikabi in a way that they may not know of? Will-."

She raised up a hand. "Let me stop you there, John before your imagination gets the better of you." She shook her head slightly. "You've always had a habit of overthinking things at times, but that type of mindset is what made you an excellent leader." A clear of the throat. "Either way, I was only included in their physiology as a tuner and wasn't explained the components of their bond and how it worked exactly. I'm afraid to say that I also wasn't in the know-how on their powers neither. Takami Sahashi was the Head Researcher of the Plan and was in charge of all everything that happened with the Sekirei in preparation for it." She admitted. "Even then, most of our current data is from what we've been able to observe so far since the Sekirei Plan kicked off, and they began to get winged. We're finding out more as the Sekirei Plan progresses."

"So," I couldn't help but let out a small sigh of disappointment, even if Sahashi-san was a viable asset, didn't mean she would go out of her way to explain things to me. Not after our first meeting and the impression I likely left on her. "Not much to say from this side of things?"

I had also wanted to get some answers and possibly talk about that dream I had last night, as it wasn't a normal one. I had my suspicions that it was related to the Sekirei in some way, but if she didn't have any information, I wouldn't press it…

"I'm afraid not, John. Probably best if you heard it from me since Sahashi would have a… particular set choice of words for you instead, and none at all flattering."

I'd imagine so, it wouldn't be the first time I managed to royally piss someone off.

"But still, if you suspect anything may be happening to you that might make you feel unwell, don't hesitate to let me know."

"Not the doctors?" Wouldn't they be able to help me more than-

"No," Halsey glared firmly my way, but I had a feeling it wasn't exactly directed at me. "You may be retired, but I'm one of the last few who truly could understand the unique biology and psychology of you and your fellow Spartans. I won't have any other one of these MBI employees do it. And besides, you might compromise your true identity if you do so. Your augmentations are vastly different than most scientists know that make up your successors, after all."

I slowly nodded in acceptance to her rationalization. It did make sense, in a way. Halsey had always been there since the beginning and always stood by us, mentoring and guiding us to make us the best we could be in her own way. Our training, augmentations, even our armor, all things Halsey gave us.

Even if I had some questions on her judgment, I held back from openly voicing them…

After all, there was no reason to start doubting her reasoning now.

"Is there anything else?" When I shook my head, she picked up her datapad once more, eyes firmly glued on the screen. "Then go on to Ms. Miyamoto. Besides, the longer you stay here, the sooner Karasuba might find herself here and make herself a nuisance once more."

I raised an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless and took my leave.

Closing the door behind me and began to stride towards Ms. Miyam-… Miyamoto-_san's_ office, I couldn't help but wonder, with a sinking feeling forming in my gut…

What kind of person is Karasuba exactly that made others like Dr. Halsey, and even Soren dislike her so much?

Hm… she often was referenced as a 'mad dog' by Soren, but what did that mean? Besides her trying to get on my nerves with her verbal prodding, I haven't quite seen her do anything violent that'll cause alarm yet. I don't precisely like judging others before making my own opinion. Then again, I might be a little biased in that decision from my own experiences as I was often judged based on my status as a Spartan-II, especially when I came to ODST's.

And some, if not all, of that particular experience, wasn't a terribly positive one…

So the idea of doing it to someone else, even if they were an alien, left an uncomfortable feeling inside of me.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck as I walked, the cold sensation of my neural interface meeting my palm.

Well, with us being bonded and all, I'm sure I'll see what makes up Karasuba sometime soon.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder as I opened the door to Miyamoto-san's office…

…What was she doing now?

* * *

Karasuba resisted the urge to rub her forehead in exasperation, and even a little embarrassment.

The reason for that was, well…

"The first night, and you two already slept together!" Yume squealed excitedly, and a bit too _loudly _for Karasuba's taste, given the looks they received_._ "And he even made you breakfast in the morning too!"

Karasuba quickly gave up and gave in to her impulses as more and more employees kept staring at them in curiosity.

'_Of all the times they had to hear something like this… They better mind their business or else they won't have much time to think of anything else.'_ She irritably thought as she sent a dark look to the busybodies around them. Immediately they looked away, but she could see them glance at them every once in a while.

Her fingers twitched slightly, almost longing for the chance to draw her blade and remove those _weaklings_ heads off their damn shoulders-.

"What did he make you?" Yume's question broke her from her thoughts. "Was it a Japanese breakfast? Western? Oh, did he make you omurice with a ketchup heart on it?" She looked like she was going to squeal happily once more. "Ooooh, and you doubted the power of love for so long! You'll finally realize the full extent of it now that you're winged!"

Karasuba rolled her eyes a little as Yume began to squirm in happiness. She was being a bit much than usual. "Yeah, I don't think so. Besides, it wasn't that great. He wakes up too early and overseasons all the food and either overcook it or barely cooks it looking back at it. And you're giving the guy way too much credit to think of something romantic like that. Heh, he's as dense and stiff as a starship, if not as dull."

Yume hummed, a knowing smile on her face. "Don't act like you didn't like it~."

She scowled. "As if." Still, Karasuba couldn't help but glance at her old friend, taking notice of the difference in behavior from last night…

* * *

_Karasuba landed on the ground next to Yume, taking notice of the cowering Sekirei's and Ashikabi's responsible for tonight's incident pressed against the wall of the alley._

"_Well, well. Looks like this is gonna be a rather easy night. Thanks for staying put." She turned towards her friend, grinning widely in excitement for the pain she wanted to inflict on the couples. She was still feeding off the power high she received after her winging. "Ne, Yume, you wouldn't mind if I can have some fun now, right?"_

_Yume just glanced at her, her usual discomfort with her needs gone, replaced with a rather neutral look. _

_Karasuba raised an eyebrow at how odd she was acting. Did she do something already? Was she mad about the deaths that happened? It wasn't like it was her fault; most of those weaklings died before she could get there. Hell, in the end, she wasn't even needed, the old man himself dealt with the whole-_

_Her breath slightly hitched as she remembered the small infatuation Yume had with that guy._

_Shit. Shit. Shit. _

_She raised a hand towards her friend. "Oi, Yume. About the old man, I didn't mean-"_

_Yume shook her head, a smile on her face, one that made Karasuba clench her jaw from the insincerity it held. "No. Don't worry about me. I'm happy for you." _

"_But-"_

"_It's okay," Yume waved her hand at the couples, who blanched in response. "Go ahead, have fun."_

_Karasuba hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject once more now that she had been rejected. By Yume nonetheless. The more she thought about it, though, the more she began to feel frustrated, feeding her urges more and more._

_Eventually, it became too much for her to want to deal with, turning around with a small scoff as she tore her sword from its scabbard. "Fine then," She muttered as she approached the Ashikabi and Sekirei. A wicked grin formed on her face as the Sekirei in front of her stood up defiantly, readying themselves for their final fight. _

_At least these guys had some guts, more than their pathetic Ashikabi's still cowering behind them. "Ne, try to make this interesting for me, yeah?" As long as it wasn't a Level 5 termination, that meant she could take her time._

_Lucky her._

_The Sekirei charged, desperation fueling them at the face of an unbeatable enemy._

_By the time they stopped screaming and fell silent, she began on the Ashikabi, slowly slicing and cutting her way as she did. _

_Compared to their Sekirei, who tried to fight back despite the pain she put them through, they're constant pleads of mercy and begging did get on her nerves. To her, if you're going to do something like they did tonight, at least man up enough to face the consequences of your actions, so she made sure to spill more of their blood in response to their weakness. Making sure every moment of their consciousness was as painful as possible._

_There was nothing more grating to her than seeing people who didn't understand just what exactly they fought for. Unwilling to take responsibility for your actions was just as bad. If you were weak and refused to stand up despite your weakness, then why live at all? It was a pathetic way of life._

_Luckily for them, Yume eventually stopped her from taking it too far once more. _

_She still had that damnable smile on her face as she did so, one that didn't reach her eyes._

_So, urges sated, but personally unsatisfied, Karasuba did what she did only for her, she listened._

* * *

…It looks like she was better now, at least.

"Still!" Yume clapped her hands excitingly. "That means we have to get you ready to be the best Sekirei you can be!"

That made Karasuba pause, a sinking feeling forming inside her. "…What does that mean?"

Then Yume brought out her book, that_ goddamn_ book of hers, in response.

"…." Karasuba took a few steps back, shaking her head, somewhat aware of the contents inside of that book. "…No. No way. Hell no. Put that thing away."

"Yes…!" Yume's eyes did that weird change when they flashed into yin-yang symbols, as she eagerly pumped her fist. "It's time for you to be prepared to love! And love is war! Which means you have to be prepared to fight for your love!"

'_Oh god no.'_ Karasuba tried to turn and run for the hills before she could get caught up in this horror show but was immediately stopped when Yume put a hand on her shoulder. That single hand was containing enough monstrous strength to stall her in her tracks. "Yume, please. Let's talk about this-."

"Don't worry, Karasuba!" The Sekirei of Fate cried as she gave her a thumbs up. Her smile was wide and ecstatic, and it was enough to make her sick from its naivety. In this case, it just made her feel some form of terror. "I'll be there with you every step of the way so you can understand how great love can be!"

While that made Karasuba feel a little better as she wouldn't be alone in this, she was still filled with utter dread. "Yume, wait- urk-" She gagged as her friend began to drag her down the hall by her collar, her feet skidding against the floor in an attempt to stop the inevitable. "W-Where are we even going?!"

She received a million-watt smile that could've powered a whole frigate with how bright it was.

Karasuba felt the ball of ice finally drop to her stomach.

"Shopping!" Yume said happily. "I have some ideas on what to get that I'm sure would make John-san happy! Trust me, it'll be fun!"

That was when Karasuba realized that, while Yume had gotten over whatever funk she had been in, it must've left her a _tad_ vindictive.

"What type of clothes are we even getting that'll make him happy?" She muttered, her hand longing to reach for her sword, but knowing better than resist.

In terms of power, Yume outdid her by miles, even though Karasuba was a higher number Sekirei than her. An utter monster… and a hack of a Sekirei…

Said monster just gushed excitingly. "Just the type that any man would love to see after a long day at work!"

'_Someone just end me…'_ Karasuba thought in resignation as she was pulled along.

* * *

Dr. Miyamoto flashed me a kind smile as I sat down across from her, albeit a slightly weak one. "Good morning Stark-san. I'm glad to see you in perfect health, given-" Her eyes fell onto my still bandaged hand, and her smile became even weaker. "Oh…"

"Just a flesh wound, Miyamoto-san," I replied. "No big deal."

She continued to stare at my hand despite my assurances, and I removed it out of her view by hiding it in my jacket. She looked at me then, some worry shining through her eyes. "We can see a doctor right now instead if you need to-"

"No," I interrupted her firmly, before reiterating myself. "It's just a flesh wound."

Dr. Miyamoto still looked hesitant, but nodded, dropping the matter. "Alright," And then she was back to her professional persona I had gotten used to the past month and a half. "So, as I messaged you before, I heard that you were part of the incident from last night."

I nodded stiffly. "Affirmative."

She frowned a bit at my clipped response, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I just wanted to see how you were doing, mentally."

Grabbing the clipboard from her desk nearby, she began to flip through it. "Suddenly going from peaceful to violent could be a rather jarring experience for most veterans. For some, the sudden intense stress could subconsciously bring back flashbacks or other uncomfortable memories or emotions of the past. For others, it can cause a reverted state of mind. I'm just going to ask you a few questions. Answer honestly, but don't force yourself, okay?"

I glanced around a bit, trying to bury my suddenly growing anxiety by looking at the various doctorates and decorations that littered the room. I took a small breath before eying the doctor again and nodding my acknowledgment.

It's just like the other times; I reminded myself. Give the correct answers like always, and I'll be fine.

Then again, the situation now was different from before.

Mainly because I killed last night. Now, I didn't regret the action at all. It was necessary, and killing those two Sekirei prevented more civilian casualties from occurring. It was that during the month as a civilian, I became acutely aware of how taboo the action was perceived in the non-military side of things. How frowned upon it was even when it was necessary.

And now, I was becoming more and more aware of how that duality may affect my chances with Miyamoto-san, a civilian herself, and it was making me a bit nervous.

I'd have to be more careful now than ever before with my responses. I've read plenty of articles detailing the difficulty for some doctors to properly diagnose or read their patients, often leading to misdiagnosis. The last thing I wanted was to be possibly diagnosed with a mental condition that didn't exist.

I pressed my palms firmly against my knees as Miyamoto-san cleared her throat.

"Last night, you were involved with the incident in a bar at the Kabukicho district. Spirited Away, I believe it was called?"

"Yes ma'am, I believe that was the bar."

"Believe? Was it your first time there?"

"Yes. I was invited by a… friend."

She wrote something on her paper. "…And this friend, was he part of the injured or…?"

"He survived, just a bit scraped and bruised."

She looked a bit relieved at that news. "That's good that your friend made it out in good condition. And yourself?"

"I'm fine."

"Then what happened to your hand?" Miyamoto-san shot back.

My eyes flickered towards the injury in question for a moment. "Just got caught in some rubble. The EMT's in charge told me I would be fine in a couple of days."

"Have you seen any doctors so they can check it out?"

"No, ma'am."

"Why not?"

"It's not necessary. I'll be fine a few days."

"I see…" She scribbled something onto her paper. "At the incident, when you saw the…"

"…The dead bodies…" I finished for her, seeing her hesitance.

"Y-yes." She cleared her throat. "How did that make you feel?"

I felt a bit taken back at that. "How… did that make me feel?" I… was never asked that before… how did I answer that type of question? Often, the two spectrums I was either was only completely numbed or cold anger…

"Yes, did you feel any particular negative emotion at the sight?"

"…"

"…"

"…Nothing in particular." It didn't feel like it would be wise to tell her that.

She pursed her lips. "…I see."

The scratch of pen on paper once more…

We continued on our talk, trading questions, and answers. I did what I can to keep to myself curt and concise, more so than usual. Likewise, Miyamoto-san was a lot more assertive with her questions as well, and I did what I could to overcome that. I had a feeling she suspected something.

We must've been there for about an hour and some minutes.

Eventually, Miyamoto-san clicked her pen and closed her notebook as she concluded the appointment with a small smile. "We're done then. Are there any further questions?"

I resisted the urge to raise my eyebrows. Miyamoto-san never asked me about the acts of violence I committed last night, and it seems like she was only informed in what was put out in the news this morning. Yet she knew I was part of the incident almost immediately after it happened. Was MBI only telling her certain things? Or was she already aware but just not asking because she didn't feel it was necessary?

How much did she know? Truly?

I withheld a sigh, deciding not to dwell on my thoughts and instead took notice of something else.

I frowned when I noticed the disappointed furrow of her brows, the tired look in her eyes that clashed with the smile on her face.

Did I do something wrong?

"Stark-san?" Miyamoto-san asked, bringing me out of my observations, only to see the slight look of concern in her eyes.

"Uh, no. No." I stumbled slightly over my response, but now that I noticed her looks, it brought me to examine another part of her.

More specifically, her face. Or rather, how _young_ she looked.

"…Actually," She perked up, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. Not that I could blame her, I often took my leave without another word as soon as we concluded our session. "I- uh… how old are you exactly, Miyamoto-san?" I stumbled over my words, deciding to be honest with my concerns.

Her brows shot up. "Pardon?"

"It's just, I would've thought someone in your type of field would have been… Older…" I tried to explain myself, finishing rather lamely.

Knowing of a few odd taboos in the civilian world, one of them oddly being on a woman's age, was something I wasn't entirely used to.

But it's something I quickly learned when I got a rather… intense reaction from Miya. Nothing too bad, just the odd darkening of the room while the wind became suddenly fierce to the point of howling in my ears, even though we were indoors at the time. That's when I became acutely aware of that peculiar taboo.

…Still wondered how she did that. And what the shadow forming behind her was supposed to be…

Miyamoto-san just blinked at my observation, before smiling lightly and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's fine, Stark-san. I'm glad you're asking the questions for once, though, I wasn't expecting that one."

"I meant no disrespect by it, I was just… curious…." I haven't met many psychologists in my life, much less doctors who work in the more mental or behavioral side of medical science. Though, now that I thought about it, how much experience could someone so young have to correctly diagnose another's mental condition? You would think the younger ones would start on the civilian side of things, while the older, more experienced ones would assist in the VA side of it.

Then again, it would be hypocritical of me to judge someone based on their age. I, for one, was intimately familiar with being underestimated and looked down upon for my age by quite a few high ranking officers when I first took part in the Human-Covenant War.

Though I was lucky enough to have a few mentors who recognized the weaknesses in my abilities or leadership due to my inexperience and help me correct them to become a better soldier and commander on the field of battle.

The lessons they have taught me would forever be part of me…

…

…I just wish they were still here to see the outcome of it all…

"It's fine," Miyamoto-san assured me gently, seemingly a bit _too_ pleased about my question. Was it because it was different from my usual indifferent attitude? "I'm actually twenty-five years old, Stark-san."

My mind blanked a bit.

…What…?

She smiled a bit wider at my raised eyebrows. "Rather young, I know. I graduated from O'Conner High School back on Mars when I was seventeen years old, going to Shin Toyko University right after receiving a scholarship from them for my psychology degree. Eight years later, I graduated with my PsyD at the top of my class, and was swooped up by MBI right afterward."

"Wait," My brows furrowed as a began putting two and two together. "Does that mean that I'm-."

"My first patient?" Miyamoto-san finished for me, before nodding with a small smile. "Yes. But rest assured, I'm fully qualified to assist you and your mental wellbeing in whatever way I can. I'm here to help you with whatever you need, Stark-san."

Despite her reassurances, I felt anything but.

I actually felt at a loss for words.

I… How is this possible? Was this something that usually happened? How did someone get the idea that someone straight out of school could help the mental wellbeing of genuinely mentally unwell and emotionally damaged soldiers was a good one? Was it because they valued credentials written on a simple piece of paper than actual experience?

I've personally met commanders, officers, and even senior enlisted throughout the war that were too inept at accomplishing their mission. It was often either because of personal ego or because, as the Marines would say for the younger 'butter bar' officers, they simply 'had college under their belt.'

I never understood that particular hatred that some of the enlisted seemed to harbor for officers, as there were just as many competent ones as there were incompetent.

Then again, I personally had more respect often sided towards the plenty of enlisted leaders and officers who fought by their men's side. Or the naval officers who were sheer tacticians in their field, doing what able to do against the more technologically superior Covenant Empire.

That didn't change the fact that there were just as many officers and senior enlisted leaders willing to step on others' experience to simply prove their status in rank.

An experience I had plenty of times.

Now though, and with no offense towards Miyamoto-san, I felt I had a prime example looking back at me.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt myself become boggled by the idea.

I couldn't help but remember about all the statistics related to veteran suicide I read, and how I only felt concerned about the veterans and soldiers who actually needed such medical services.

Where they even retrieving the proper treatment they needed?

With what I could see with MBI and their 'security force,' it wasn't being dealt with in a way that was beneficial for the soldiers in the long run. Could other companies be using the same tactics to prey upon them on their moments of weakness? The Insurrectionists?

What could be the reason for this happening? Was it because we lost too many medical institutions during the war, and are now scrambling to replace the experienced doctors we have lost with the new generation? Or did the UEG honestly not care for the well being of the veterans who have given their whole life to fighting and saving Humanity?

The more I thought about it, the more the bewildered feeling I felt turn into disgruntlement, as I remembered how my team had told me that most of the tests I would go through was nothing more but a 'formality' to them. Was it treated the same way for many other veterans as well? Or was my Spartans and I just a particular case?

"Stark-san?" I was once more pulled out of my thoughts when Miyamoto-san called out to me again. "Is something wrong?"

I averted my eyes away from her concerned ones, shaking my head as I stood up. "No, ma'am. I'm fine. Be seeing you."

"Ah, wait! Stark-san, I-"

I ignored her calls, walking out the room, feeling less sure than when I went in.

* * *

I stood patiently in the elevator as it slowed to a stop. Glancing up at the floor level, I confirmed that it wasn't mine.

Readily enough, the doors opened, revealing two people on the other side of it.

I raised a brow when I noticed who they were, a scientist in a white lab coat, and another Sekirei.

I felt my other brow raise when I took note of the rather… _peculiar _appearance that this particular Sekirei had.

Short brown hair covered her head, along with gray eyes, and her face, having the angular beauty that I was starting to realize most Sekirei had, was kept into a relatively blank look. In fact, she looked a little out of it, if not… sad, in a sense.

That was actually the regular part of her appearance; it was her clothes that threw me off.

I was aware that some Sekirei wore outfits that can be considered rather… scandalous, at least when compared to military standards.

This one, though, took the cake from what I've seen so far.

She wore a white top similar to Miya's, with similar flowing sleeves, except this one was different. Vastly so.

The neckline for her head was lined with black fabric and more massive than the standard cut out, revealing her shoulders. It then went down in a vast V-shape from there, showing what must've been a third of the rather… substantial chest she had, and stopped at her upper stomach. A black piece of cloth with a bow in front held was wrapped around her abdomen, keeping the shirt tight around her body.

If that wasn't enough, she even had chains that were part of her outfit, which looked as if they were the only things making sure her shirt stayed above her breasts and covered her modesty, if only just, while the other set looped around her neck and disappeared into her cleavage. A long flowing skirt with a slit in between showing much of her pale legs finished her look.

I had to keep myself from gaping at the woman who wore such an outfit, as she didn't even look bothered by the sheer volume of skin she was showing.

While seeing other people in various states of undress never bothered me much, the way she looked was… was…

…Who would wear something like that?

I quickly averted my eyes when hers turned towards mine.

"Finally," The scientist muttered with a scoff as he walked in. "Too many damned floors in this place. Takes forever for a simple elevator here."

I found myself agreeing with him in that sentiment. It did take about ten to thirty minutes just to call a simple elevator here, which made sense, with how big Teito Tower was and all.

Now inside, the scientist turned, only to scowl when his companion didn't enter. "Let's go, Akitsu."

I glanced at the alien in question, Akitsu, only to raise a brow when I saw her staring at me rather intensely, lips parted.

Was she beginning to blush?

"Akitsu!" The scientist snapped.

She finally blinked; the act itself was relatively slow, almost methodical before she spoke. "..Ah. Sorry."

Akitsu walked inside the elevator, the chains she wore slightly jingling as she did so, until she standing between the scientist and me. The distance between us almost being nullified with how close she was standing next to me.

The entire time she moved, her eyes never left my figure, keeping me in her sight at all times.

I resisted the urge to shuffle in place. "What floor?" I asked the man.

"Floor twelve." He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

I pressed the button, and we were soon going back down toward their destination, as mine was after theirs.

…I could feel Akitsu's eyes on my back the entire time, and this time I did unconsciously shift a bit in discomfort…

Eventually, I got tired of it, and hoping for the elevator to go down faster wasn't doing much, so instead, I addressed it the best I could.

"You need something?" I muttered, looking back at this rather odd alien.

She slowly blinked in response. "Ah," She murmured softly, and the hue of pink on her face slowly dipped into a rosy color. "You're my Ashi-"

"Akitsu! Wait!" The scientist suddenly yelped in horror as he grabbed her by the wrist tightly. "You can't! Your adjustments, you're not ready just y-!"

_Ding._

"Let's go," He hurriedly said as he walked out the elevator, dragging Akitsu behind him.

Or at least attempting to, as she stopped in place right before the elevator door.

"Ah," I stiffened when her hand lashed out at insane speeds, her dainty fingers gripping the front end of my jacket tightly. "Ashikabi-sama…"

"Akitsu!" The scientist barked as he struggled to pull her along. "You have to wait until your adjustments are over! You can't get winged now!"

"Ashikabi-sama," The alien just ignored his words, airily breathing as she stared up at me with those unfocused gray eyes of hers.

I wanted to retort, to push her off of me, but to my growing horror, I could feel my body beginning to become lethargic as a warm feeling spread through it, starting from my core outwards. My mind started to feel muddled again like it was trying to waddle through some type of muck, making it hard to think clearly.

Wh-What was going on…? Was this another reaction…? But I thought only the Sekirei did that? Or was this the byproduct of having a Sekirei react to an Ashikabi?

I could hear my blood roar in my ears as my heart pounded in my chest, and my throat tightened as we continued to stare each other. I opened my mouth, trying to say words that refused to leave my throat. I noticed Akitsu blinking as if the sight of my slightly parted lips had triggered something.

And maybe it did.

My eyes widened in alarm when Akitsu's lips inched closer to mine, and I could feel my body beginning to lean over to match her distance, as every shred of resistance gone from it. My body, for whatever reason, responded eagerly to whatever she was willingly offering, even as my heart and mind tried to resist the best they could.

…It was just like with Karasuba… when-

"AKITSU!" A man's voice roared distantly. "IF YOU WING HIM NOW, YOU'LL KILL HIM!"

_That _caused me to snap out of it and regain my senses, jerking away from the now frozen Sekirei and slightly bracing myself against the wall, my breathing irregular as a bead of sweat crawled down my face.

Akitsu didn't try to reach for me again and instead turned towards the scientist, head cocked in question from his exclamation.

"You're still being adjusted, Akitsu," The scientist explained slowly explained himself, emphasizing his words. "If you wing him now, who knows what that could accidentally do to you two? Your abilities haven't been regulated yet, and you could end up killing him in the bonding process alone if you don't let me do my job."

He pushed up his glasses. "I'm the only one that can deal with your particular abilities and help you, after all. Now let's get going…" He frowned when she still didn't respond to his tugging.

Akitsu instead looked at me, a longing look in her eyes combined with a flushed face that left me feeling uncertain on how to proceed. "Ah. Ashikabi-sama…"

It took me a moment to realize she was actually calling out to me, and I stepped back when her free hand twitched in my direction, my shoulder bumping against the wall behind me.

If there was anything that made me genuinely nervous and anxious, it was anything that could psychologically affect me. My time spent with the Gravemind mocking and threatening me when we were in the general vicinity of another made it that the mere thought of it would send shivers up and down my spine. It was part of the reason why the bond worried me so much, as the only experience I had with any sort of telepathy was with that creature.

The fact I couldn't control myself when a Sekirei was seemingly reacting towards me only put me off more.

"…Your name…"

I blinked a few times, confused.

Why she want my name? What purpose did that serve her?

Still, it didn't seem she would leave anytime soon without getting it, and it didn't look like that scientist would be able to stop her should she try to get close to me again.

…And I was beginning to doubt I would be able to do the same…

"J-Jo-" I cleared my throat and steadied my breathing, regaining my composure. "Stark."

She mouthed the words to herself before she seemed to shiver a bit, as if the words themselves were something precious to her.

Akitsu's lips twitched, her longing stare never ceasing. "…Please wait for me, Stark-sama…"

With some hesitance, she finally allowed the irate scientist to drag her away. That didn't stop her from glancing over her shoulder until they turned a corner, out of my sight.

I blinked a few times, having regained my senses fully and standing there a little dumbfounded.

Jesus, I was about to wing another Sekirei, wasn't I? Can I even wing another? Is that against the rules? What will happen to mine and Karasuba's bond if I winged this one?

Exhaling from my nose, I dismissed the thoughts, and instead waited for the elevator doors to close and resume its trek towards my destination.

Again, another day, and I feel like I have nothing more but more questions and not enough answers..

I'm sure I wouldn't be in this type of situation if Cor-

"…_We swore to protect each other. And no matter what happened, we did…"_

Clenching my eyes shut, I removed my glasses to massage them, banishing the memory towards the back of my mind.

Along with all the rest…

…

….

Shit... What a day…

* * *

I once read that a nice, quiet walk was an excellent way to deal with stress. To help clear your mind and allow you to focus on what you needed to do.

Of course, I doubted it, since there was no better way to deal with stress than going to a range and sending those negative thoughts downrange in a hail of bullets and obliterating your target.

Or to deal with it by rolling on a mat sparing with another, beating one another into a pulp until you could no longer go on.

Or merely by lifting with heavy weights until you were fatigued and your muscles ached something fierce…

Unfortunately for me, I had none of these options on hand. Nor did I have them to look forward to.

So I thought, with all I've learned today, that I can digest and process them with a nice walk back home since I didn't have a vehicle to drive myself. Enjoy the sights and scenery like I usually did while on runs or grocery trips.

"Excuse me!"

"Watch it!"

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't see you there!"

"Hey..!"

"Yes, sir! About the next meeting, I was thinking about…!"

Rather foolishly, I forgot to take into account the time and place I would be doing this form of 'stress relief.'

During the lunch rush in the incredibly busy business district of Marunouchi in which Teito Tower itself resided in. The hustle and bustle of it had thrown me off a bit, having grown used to the relatively quiet and peaceful residential district of Hiroo where I lived.

I forced myself to follow the currents of the crowds, the height difference between the Japanese citizens and I being felt more than ever as I towered over the sea of people around me. I receive stares from the business workers around me who were all wearing some type of formal wear, likely some form of conformity. It was probably a mixture between my height and clothing that got their attention as it must've been the busiest part of the day in that area.

I pushed through it all with relative ease, uttering apologies every once when I accidentally brushed against someone or stepped on their shoe.

I was soon free of that almost claustrophobic area as I neared the edge of the business district and closed into the residential ones.

Which then led me to my next encounter.

"UUWWWAA! Ugh- UWWA!"

I looked around, a bit uncomfortable at the sight of all the people ignoring the small, terrified girl crying next to the crosswalk. The people around were apathetic to her cries, though some glanced at her, they kept walking towards their own destination, deeming it more relevant than helping the girl with whatever she was crying about.

I should do the same…

Though, even though I thought that way, I found myself pausing after a few steps, finding my feet rooted onto the ground. A churning sensation formed in my chest the more I listened to the girl's cries…

Was this guilt…? Why would I feel that way…? It wasn't like I was the cause of kid's distress or anyth-

…_I watched the school burn silently, the little bodies clustered near the front of them in piles mixed in with the bodies of the Grunts and Jackels we just killed… What was once a feeding pen now disappearing with the falling debris… Burning them all until there was not even a trace of the atrocity that occurred here…_

…_Again, we were too late… Again, I couldn't save anyone…_

"…."

I sighed, rolling my shoulders before approaching the little girl. Better to try than do nothing at all…

She didn't even notice my approach, too busy trying wiping the tears from her eyes…

…C'mon kid, if you're going to cry, at least try to be quiet about it. When I was your age, being loud was a quick way to get a stun baton to the back of the head… Gives you something to really cry about; If you had the energy to, that is…

"Hey," The girl stiffened at my voice, looking up at me with teary eyes. "You alright?"

She stared at me for a few more moments before she started to tremble like an Unnogy, a fresh wave of tears falling from her eyes as she gave me a frightened stare.

Shit… Don't tell me the kid's scared of me or someth-

"BWEEEEEEH! Uggu-BWEEEEEH! BWEEEH!" She began to cry harder in response, snot dripping out of her nose and drool escaping her mouth as more tears fell from her face.

"Christ…" I rubbed the back of my neck, becoming clearly aware of the eyes zeroing on me and the girl, the people around us staring at me judgingly. I didn't quite understand why though since they flat out ignored the girl when they had the chance to approach her, so why were they looking at me as if I did something wrong?

What was even the correct approach to a situation like this? I can't take the Mendez route and yell at her to shut the hell up since I learned that many young civilians aren't as thick-skinned as my fellow trainees and me from the time we were kids.

Not to mention it seemed to be frowned upon…

Hell, even now, I've seen fully grown civilian adults freak out over the slightest inconvenience that would have left my old CPO screaming obscenities at them until they felt like their very existence was an affront to Humanity.

I dropped my hand, feeling a little lost, but trying again nonetheless. "Quit crying, kid."

She flinched, lowering her head slightly at my words, but kept crying.

"…It's going to be alright…?"

…No dice…

I began to pop the joints in my fingers.

Maybe with a little more authority?

"…Listen, if you have a problem, tell me."

I almost sagged in relief when the girl finally ceased her uncontrollable sobbing, wiping her eyes the best she could before looking up at me. She still hiccuped every so often, though. "T-The ōdan hodō…"

Ōdan hodō…? My mind raced to translate the unfamiliar word…

…Pedestrian… Crossing…? Did she mean the crosswalk?

Wait, did she mean that she was too scared to-?

I felt slight disbelief at the fact that a girl who's age must've been the same when I was learning how to string up tripwires and treat chest wounds would be so terrified at crossing a simple crosswalk...

Seriously? It wasn't like you had to run while the cars were speeding by and try to avoid traffic, they gave you time to cross, and from what I've seen, she's had more than enough of times to cross when she was crying.

There was no life or death moment. No fight or flight reflex taking over all reason. No reason for her to fear something as simple as a crosswalk. Just her standing there, terrified.

"….."

"….." She sniffled, shuffling around nervously under my gaze.

I just couldn't understand…

Still…

That didn't mean I should just leave her here and move on. I was here, able to help her, and it would only make sense to do so if it was in my ability.

"…I can help you cross if you want..."

She immediately brightened up to my suggestion, wiping furiously at her tears and snot as she nodded. "Hm! Hm!"

I withheld a grimace when she reached up and grabbed the last two joints of my middle and ring finger of my right hand. Her tiny hand covered in boogers and tears that was barely able to wrap around the digits.

Well, that was simple… but disgusting…

I sighed but decided to let it go, waiting for the crosswalk light to give us the go-ahead instead, other pedestrians forming around us.

We quickly crossed when we got the chance to, but I had to slow down my stride when I almost pulled the girl off her feet within the first few steps, making sure to match my stride with her tiny one.

When my job was done, I went to withdraw my hand, only to frown when the tiny one connected to it gave it a small tug instead.

I looked down only to see the kid looking up at me tearfully.

"There are more crosswalks before I get home…"

You've got to be kidding me… "And where's home supposed to be?"

She sniffed. "In the Shibuya district…"

With a mental command, the lenses of my glasses flared into life, calculating where precisely the location of the Shibuya district was. I didn't really go out of my way to go to different places during my month and a half tenure here, rarely having a want to go out and see the country, and I was already familiarized with the places I did go to.

So, when the rare times came that I required the piece of eyewear's ability to connect to the city network wirelessly on the fly, it was a useful one for when I needed info. The connection itself was a bit spotty, and it took a few moments, but I finally got the location to where it was to appear on the lenses.

Hmm… It's a little ways off from my residential district, but not too much. I wouldn't have to put too much effort into making a small detour to get her there…

I grunted, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to do just that. In for a penny, in for a pound, I believe the expression was…

Still…

"I'll only get you to the district, but your gonna have to do the rest to get home."

She smiled, tears long gone by now. "Hm! Thank you, Ojii-san!"

My eye twitched. "…Let's move…"

* * *

"…How'd you even get to and from school anyways?"

"My friend…"

"A friend?"

"Hm! His name's Taki-kun. We usually walk to and from school, but he had to go home early today when he hurt himself jumping off the swing. I tried to walk by myself, but I got a little lost, and the pedestrian crossings were getting bigger and bigger until I got too scared to cross them anymore…" A bright grin. "But you were here to help me, Ojii-san!"

"…I see… No problem…"

It took us a while, with the kid getting distracted by too many things on the way, like a stray cat and a candy store, but I was eventually able to get her to the Shibuya district with little to no issues.

"Hana-chan, is that you?!" I heard a child's voice call out as we finally entered the district, and the kid holding my hand perked up in response.

A little further ahead was a small group of kids in a similar uniform that she wore about a block over from our position. One of them was the one who called out, likely recognizing her.

'Hana-chan' began to wave furiously at them. "Shu-chan! Saa-chan! Ko-chan!" She then looked up at me.

My lips twitched. "Go ahead. And stay safe, kid."

She smiled and let go of my hand, but she then surprised me when she then wrapped her arms around my leg in a hug. "Thanks for your help, Ojii-san! I couldn't make it back without you!"

I felt some heat creep up on my cheeks, and quickly waved my hand, trying to shoo her away to hide my discomfort. "Yeah, yeah. Get a move on now."

Seriously, this clingy kid…

Thankfully, that was all she needed to hear, and after releasing me, she took off full speed towards her friends. They loudly chatted as they walked away, some of the kids glancing back at me and pointing, but they didn't do anything aside from that.

…Except 'Hana-chan,' who turned around, a fair distance away by now, to wave excitingly at me.

I gave a small, noncommittal wave back with my uninjured hand, before stuffing both my hands into my jacket pockets. With a final glance, I did a quick about-face and started my trek back home…

"Ara~, ara~, what a fine gentleman you were there, not to mention rather good with children. How interesting…" A voice called.

My head snapped left and right, looking for the source, before quickly finding it, casually laying on their side on top of a roof of a house, bottle in hand.

"It's almost enough to get a woman a bit hot under the collar. After all, a man who knows how to deal with children is rather scarce nowadays~."

It's just one thing after another today, isn't it?

I just stared at her, wondering what this Sekirei could possibly want from me.

The Sekirei in question had long violet hair with some sort of half-ponytail that flowed alongside the wind. She wore a pair of sunglasses, preventing me from seeing her eyes. She wore-

My eye twitched.

What the hell _was _she even wearing? Do they even have a name for something like that? It was even more questionably inappropriate than that Akitsu's!

The _very, very short_ purple dress she wore that barely touched her thighs seemed like someone cut a hole in the middle and then decided to put some pieces of cloth in an 'X' formation was a good idea. Who knows what they were thinking when they made this outfit, considering how much of her stomach and cleavage of her rather _absurdly_ large chest was exposed. The rest of the outfit was finished with flowing sleeves that went down towards her wrists.

It was also ridiculously tight on her body, emphasizing it in ways that just left me annoyed.

…Seriously, who designed these types of outfits? Weren't the Sekirei supposed to fight to the death or something? Were these the types of clothing that they were supposed to fight in?

Part of me hoped not…

And not long ago, I honestly thought the mini-skirts that Karasuba and Yume wore were the oddest thing I've seen since retiring.

Where was the protection? Did they just not care if one well-placed bullet was all that was needed to do them in? It's just not a strategically sound-

…I'm starting to get distracted…

"If you keep staring so hard, Gentleman-kun, I'm going to start thinking you have some ungentlemanly intentions." She chortled.

I shook my head at her, failing to see the amusement in her words. "What do you want?"

"What, Gentleman-kun? Can't a girl just enjoy a little day drinking with some free entertainment? It's not hurting anyone now, is it?" She pouted, before cranking her head back to drink from the bottle of sake she had.

…and keep drinking…

…and drinking…

…and drinking…

…I had to admit, I was slightly amazed at her ability to drink that stuff like it was water. I doubt I can do the same, even if I forced myself… Not that I saw myself willingly drinking alcohol anytime soon.

When she had completely finished the bottle of sake, she loudly sighed in content. "Puah! Hooooo! That hit's the spot!"

I watched as she tossed the bottle over her shoulder, following it before it disappeared in a nearby bush. "…."

Gazing back at her, I narrowed my eyes when she had a new, full bottle in her hand.

Where did she get it from? I scanned the area around her but didn't see anything around her that she could have taken it from unless she had it on her person the entire time?

But where would she hide it?

A smirked formed on her face at my lack of response. "Oooh, the strong, quiet type, huh? That's fine, you may look manly enough, but when compared to another man I know of, you're a bit too old looking and weathered for my tastes. You also don't look like the type that can show a girl a good time either."

"…Good to know."

"He speaks!" She giggled, and I noticed her face becoming a little flushed, likely from the alcohol?

"Neh," I tensed up when her voice lowered, suddenly becoming serious. "The wind, don't you feel it?"

I cocked my head slightly, confused. The wind? What did that have to do with anything? Was she alright?

She traced a finger up and down the neck of the bottle thoughtfully, seemingly distracted. "After your little show last night, it's gained a distasteful edge to go with it, but with it, a sense of change. I wonder…?" She stopped what she was doing and stared me down hard. "Now that I get a good look at you, you seem like someone who is unresolved with who they are, like sake that's been diluted. If you don't change soon, you'll be swallowed up by this so-called plan."

I glared at the Sekirei, unsure what she meant by that, but not appreciating the insinuations nonetheless. What was it to her, anyway?

We continued our stare down for a few more moments before she giggled a bit, taking another swig of sake and exclaiming in contentment. "Haaa! Or you can be like me and go with the flow of the wind, accepting the way it takes you! Hopefully, mine takes me towards more sake!"

I shook my head at the giggling Sekirei, a bit put off by the sudden tone change but decided to let it go, jotting it down as being connected to alcohol-induced idiocy. She just must've been drunk by now after downing that entire bottle in one go, which was why I couldn't make sense of what she was trying to say.

Either way, I was done sitting here. I've wasted enough time.

"Take care of yourself," I muttered as I began walking towards my destination once more, the wind starting to pick up slightly.

"You too, Gentleman-kun!" The Sekirei lowered her sunglasses, revealing the pair of brown eyes underneath, as she winked at me. "We should get a drink next time!"

No. Not gonna happen.

By now, I can only hope that there were no more encounters and that I could just head home.

* * *

Thankfully, by the time I got back to my apartment complex, there were no further issues I ran into, no new encounters with Sekirei's, much to my relief.

Though, when I approached my door, I felt a sense of deja-vu when I felt that same relief slowly turn into dread. With keys about to unlock my door, I hesitated, feeling the familiar presence of Karasuba just beyond the door through the bond, but she felt muted, out of sorts. Having experienced Karasuba's confidence firsthand, it put me a bit on edge to come across this type of feeling from her, wondering what had occurred to her that made her feel this way.

Still, it was only our second day together, and for all intents and purposes, she was my ally now. So, putting away my suspicions, I opened my door.

I immediately regretted it as my eyes burned the sight before me.

Karasuba was beyond the door, yes, but what I didn't expect was Yume to be with her, smiling brightly.

And that wasn't even the worst of it…

They were dressed in one of the oddest getups I've seen. Black and white lace covered their body, the tips of the clothing ending in white frills. Tops that showed off much of their slender shoulders and necks, but thankfully covered their breasts enough, which, after seeing a few other Sekirei's choices of clothing, was assuring.

Granted, Yume's clothing around her bosom looked as if it was about to burst, and I did not want to be around if that happened. Karasuba looked as if she had no problems, though, to my relief.

Small sleeves were wrapped around their upper arms like lacy black and white bands, keeping their shoulders exposed. Their bottoms were covered by a black skirt that was of reasonable length for a change, finished off with white stockings. They both wore a white headband on top of their hair.

These were…. Maid uniforms, I believe they were called? Didn't people who worked in maid café's wear those?

I've personally never been to one myself. Still, I was only aware of those types of cafe's existence because there was one that was down the route I took for grocery shopping that I was aware of, where the workers often advertised the shop outside in uniform to anyone who passed by.

Yasaka had wanted me to go to one a few times, but I shot him down each time as I wasn't interested in being served food I can simply make myself.

My eye twitched.

It still didn't explain _why_ they were wearing those clothes.

I glanced at Karasuba, only to notice that under all that lace and frills, the face of resignation. Eyes full of murderous intent stared back at me, causing me to tense up slightly in response. Still, she stood there with that painful look on her face, while the one who stood next to her appeared unfazed, smiling angelically.

It felt like there was something more to that smile than what appeared though…

"Welcome back, John-san!" Yume greeted me happily, while Karasuba just glanced to the side, her jaw clenched tightly, face scrunched.

My nose twitched, recognizing the smell of food being cooked; Were they making something in the kitchen?

"Would you like dinner?" Continued Yume. "A bath? Or perhaps… me?"

I froze, feeling confused and bewildered; What did she just say?

Karasuba faced palmed, the sound of her hand smacking against her face ringing throughout the room. "Jesus, Yume…"

I worked my jaw, attempting to form words, but was only able to formulate one coherent response. "…Pardon…?"

Yume didn't respond, instead of turning towards Karasuba, hands clasped under her chin. "You see, Karasuba? It's easy, now it's your turn. Greet your Ashikabi properly!"

Perplexed, I looked at Karasuba, who's face scrunched up in response, before looking towards the side, scoffing. "This is too much."

Yume immediately elbowed her in response, and even though she tried to hide it, the way Karasuba slightly doubled over in response showed that it wasn't a light hit either. "I'm… gonna kill you…" She hissed out.

She received another elbow in response, causing her to wheeze a bit this time. "A-Alright already… quit it…"

I slowly began to close the door.

"That's the spirit, Karasuba!"

No, I'm not watching this…

"Ah! Wait, Stark-san! Where are you-!"

With a resounding click of the lock, I walked away from the door towards the railing, gripping it tightly with a sigh.

Well, that was awkward.

"Ah, Stark-san," I turned my head, only to see the landlady approach me, lighting a cigarette as she did. "Just the person I was looking for. I was wondering if you-"

Yume burst out of my door, holding an exasperated Karasuba by the arm as she did. "Stark-san! Why did you leave? Did you not like it?"

"He wouldn't be the only one…" The grey-haired Sekirei muttered behind her.

The cigarette between the landlady's lips almost fell from how slack her face had gotten, eyebrows disappearing into her hair as she alternated staring between all three of us with wide eyes.

To her credit, she was able to regain her composure, eyeing the Sekirei a bit warily before staring me down.

…For some reason, I felt as if I was being horribly misunderstood…

"Well then," She muttered after a bit. "I didn't expect you to be that type of man, Stark-san."

What?

"I guess it makes sense, though, given that you're a man and all." She raised a questioning brow as she gazed at Yume and Karasuba's attire. "…Didn't expect a guy like you to have something like that as a fetish though…"

…What's a fetish…?

I supposed it wasn't anything good, given the way I heard Karasuba snicker behind me. "Heh… You wouldn't know the half of it, Obaa-san."

"It's not what you think?" I was confused why the landlady narrowed her eyes at me, but still felt the need to defend myself. "It's… just not…"

Not really convincing, but I didn't even understand I was even in this situation.

The older woman just blew a cloud of smoke, a doubtful look on her face. "It's alright. I get it. Just don't cause too much noise, alright? Don't want the neighbors complaining or anything."

Why would the neighbors complain? Being too loud? What was she getting at?

I just stared as she wagged her finger at me. "Be smart, though. Use protection and all that stuff." She glanced at the Sekirei behind me. "I know a pharmacy nearby that gives plan B if you need it."

Plan B? What's Plan B? What about Plan A?

…No, wait…. What…?

I glanced at the now quiet Yume, only to see her now flushed face, but a rather odd smile on her face, while Karasuba barked out a harsh laugh. "Thanks for the help, Obaa-san, but I think we'll be fine on our own."

The landlady just shook her head before walking away with a wave. "If you say so. I'll leave you to it then." I heard her sigh as she got further away. "…Youngsters got too much energy these days…"

"It's not…" I sighed, giving up.

Karasuba just chuckled at my response. "Let's take this back inside, yeah? More privacy that way."

The context being thrown around was lost on me, but I still nodded. "Let's…"

Yume choked, her face becoming redder as the odd smile just became goofy looking, her eyes becoming unfocused.

I raised an eyebrow; What was she getting embarrassed about?

I glanced at Karasuba for answers, but she just shook her head. "Just fantasizing, don't mind her, it happens. Let's get dinner on the table before we burn down the kitchen." She looked down at herself, face scrunching. "And get me into some regular clothes… these things are way too tight on the hips." She muttered, giving the end of the skirt a tug.

Ah… I didn't need to know that… Really…

I exhaled softly, wondering if this was how my everyday life was going to go-

Wait, why exactly was Yume here again? It seemed like she was the reason why I was in this situation in the first place. Just what did she hope to achieve by-?

"Oi! speaking of which, we're gonna need more food! The fridge is empty after we made dinner!" Karasuba called out from inside the room.

I frowned when I heard that. There's no reason for me to be out of food already; I just went shopping a few days ago. I should still have food for the next two days-

My mind flashed to last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast. With my new addition in the household, my food quantity, often enough for myself, would now be shared between the two of us.

Well, three of us… at least for this meal.

I sighed when I inspected my raided fridge, noting the remaining condiments in it, but no food.

Seems like I'll have to go shopping tomorrow… Probably need to get double the amount this time around…

Joy.

I eyed the massive pot as I walked into the kitchen, peeking inside of it to see its contents.

Curry.

Again.

I sniffed at it, my eye twitching when a slight burn formed in my nostrils, one that got more and more intense as its scent traveled up my sinuses.

…A rather spicy one at it too this time around…

Nothing I couldn't handle… I hope…


End file.
